


Guardian of Hope

by TanyaReed



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Episode Related, Episode: s01e10 And the Loom of Fate, F/M, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-19
Updated: 2015-08-24
Packaged: 2018-04-15 15:24:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 45,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4611828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TanyaReed/pseuds/TanyaReed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two months ago, Eve Baird found herself in an alternate universe where she met another Jacob Stone.  Now, she's back in that world, fighting growing attraction and helping to put the world back together.  In the end, will she decide to stay...and will they be able to save the world?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much to both my wonderful beta, skieswideopen, and my just as wonderful writing buddy, gwenhwyfar1984.
> 
> [Artwork](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4614066) for this story is by h_marchosias.
> 
> Sorry for the typos that I'm noticing as I go through. I'll try to fix them when I can. My most embarrassing one is using succeed instead of secede in chapter four. Ooops...

“Another one locked up and kept safe from the world,” Jake Stone announced as he put their newest acquisition under glass.

He glanced at his Guardian, Eve, and smiled. She smiled back.

“And now,” she asked with a hint of the smile in her voice, “we get the day off you promised me?”

He'd been promising her a day off for awhile. Not just a day off, but a day off where the two of them did nothing but watch stupid action movies, eat pizza, and romp around in the king sized bed he'd bought just for that purpose.

He winked at her. “Can't wait. Let's go tell Charlene we're clocking out until the day after tomorrow.”

“Sounds great.”

Jake was tempted to press her against the newly placed glass and kiss her, but Eve had a rule of no displays of affection while they were working. They mostly obeyed it, though the stacks had seen their share of stolen kisses, and one time his desk had seen substantially more than that. Still, Eve liked to keep her work and home lives separate, and Jake was more than willing to let her have her way in that—and in pretty much everything else, if truth be told, unless it went against his instincts when it came to their job. Occasionally, Eve was moved to break her own rule, and Jake was more than willing to break it right along with her.

She was looking down into his face, studying him, her expression suddenly serious.

“What is it?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Nothing. It's nothing.”

He frowned, curious, but he didn't get a chance to question her. His cell phone rang shrilly and, since he was still on the clock, he had to answer.

“Stone.”

“Is this the Librarian?” a soft, accented voice asked.

“Yes, I'm the Librarian.”

“I need to meet with you.”

Jake glanced at Eve. “Now?”

“The fate of the world may depend on it.”

He sighed. It always did. “All right. Where can I find you?”

“Is this line secure?” For the first time, he noticed some unease in her voice.

“It's secure.”

She rattled off an address, and Eve was holding a pen and paper out to him because she knew him well enough to know that his mind was often so busy that he forgot little things. It was one of the disadvantages of having an IQ of about 190.

Jake quietly jotted down the address and agreed to meet her there as soon as he could. As he hung up, Eve was looking at him questioningly.

“Sorry, darlin'. Looks like we're gonna have to put off that day off a little longer.”

“So I gathered,” she accepted dryly. “What's going on?”

“I have no idea, but she sounded concerned.”

“How concerned?”

“She said the fate of the world depended on it.”

“Doesn't it always?” Eve echoed his earlier thought.

“Well, I am the Librarian.”

“And I'm your Guardian. Let's go meet this mystery woman.”

XXX

The address the mysterious caller had given them brought Jake to a section of the city he'd never seen before. The streets were rundown and mostly contained rickety warehouses. They even passed a boarded up factory as they got closer to their destination.

Everything was quiet, but Eve insisted on walking ahead of him. She wore her soldier face, and he knew she was aware of everything around them. As he watched her, he admired her grace. She moved in lithe, fluid lines. Many—usually those she was facing off against—were intimidated by both her size and her prowess, but Jake thought she was beauty in motion. He'd told her that once, and she'd laughed at him.

She stopped abruptly and asked, “Are you watching my ass?”

Jake knew this was her way of telling him there was no obvious danger.

He acknowledged her rare show of humour by replying, “Don't I always?”

She glanced at him over her shoulder and gave him a wink before striding up to a nearby doorway. It belonged to a sagging warehouse devoid of paint and boasting two windows covered with plywood.

“This is it.”

He could see her body once more go into protective mode as she went up and knocked on the door. She knocked twice before it was open by a beautiful young woman.

“Hurry!” she said without preamble. “Come in.”

There was a sense of urgency in her movements, so Eve and Jake followed her, saving their questions.

As soon as the door closed, the woman said, “Thank you for coming. I wasn't sure where else to go, and I was sure this was something you should be aware of.”

“What is it?” Jake asked. “What's going on?”

She led them through a dim hallway and into a messy room filled with a hodgepodge of different things. Most of it was sticking out of boxes, but there were also scattered books and other items that were mostly used for research.

“Please excuse the mess,” the woman said, indicating the room with a wave of her hand. “This isn't usually where I'd be entertaining. Until a few hours ago, we had a very nice office.” She paused before quietly adding, “Three hours ago, there was a 'we'.” 

This caught his attention. “I think you'd better explain.”

She nodded. “My name is Lamia. Up until three hours ago, I worked with Professor Jonas Shiar...”

“That name sounds familiar.”

“It should. We met standing in line to interview for your job.”

Jake frowned, thinking. He didn't remember her, but he had a faint memory of Shiar.

“He was fascinated with the study of medieval history and magic. His fascination fascinated me, so we became partners. A month or so ago, he started working on this new project. I asked him what it was but he kept saying he didn't know enough to share yet. All I knew is that it had something to do with a painting.”

“What happened to Shiar?” Eve asked, to the point as always.

“Three men broke into our office and killed him. I managed to get away, and I took our research with me.”

“Who? What men?”

“Shiar said they were members of the Serpent Brotherhood.”

“Dammit,” Jake swore. “What are they after?”

The Serpent Brotherhood was the traditional enemy of the Library. They had started out as Librarians themselves, but they'd been corrupted by the promise of ruling the world with magic instead of protecting the world and magic from each other. Jake had faced them many times over his term as Librarian, and he knew they were led by a wildcard named Dulaque.

“I don't know,” Lamia shook her head, “but it had something to do with this.”

She went over to a stack of books and papers and picked up something rolled and held with an elastic. She brought it over and handed it to Jake while Eve watched with wary eyes.

“What's that?” Eve leaned forward to peer at the large sheet of paper as Jake unrolled it. It held a painting that he recognized immediately.

“The Crown of King Arthur.”

“You know it?” Lamia seemed surprised.

He shrugged. “My strengths are art and history.” Studying her curiously, he had to ask, “What are yours?”

At first, he didn't think she'd answer, but after a pause she grudgingly told him, “Math, physics, and spacial visualization.”

“The painting, Librarian.” Eve stressed his title to get him back on track.

“Oh, yeah. King Arthur's crown has been lost for a very long time. If both Shiar and the Serpent Brotherhood are interested in this painting, maybe it's a clue to finding it. I'd love to see the real thing. Either of you have a clue who owns it?”

Lamia shrugged. “I didn't even know what it was.”

Eve hauled out her Smart Phone, saying, “I told you, you need to upgrade your phone. It's The Crown of King Arthur?” She pushed some buttons. “Oh, here we go. It's been hanging in the Munich Museum of History and Art for as long as anyone can remember.”

“I'm coming with you,” Lamia stated flatly. “Shiar died for that crown, and I'm going to see his quest finished.”

Once more, Jake studied her. She looked fierce and determined, and she had survived an attack by the Serpent Brotherhood.

“Fine. I'll call Charlene and get her to get us three tickets to Munich. With any luck, they'll be ready for us before we get to the airport. Grab your passport, Lamia, and let's go.”

XXX

“The brochure says the painting is down this way,” Jake said, glancing at the paper in his hand.

As he started down the stairs, he felt a light hand on his shoulder. He turned to see his Guardian looking distracted.

“I'll be right back.”

Eve turned back, and Jake led Lamia to the painting. As he approached it, he frowned, realizing it wasn't nearly as old as it was supposed to be.

“This is a fake,” he murmured.

“What?”

“The paint. It's not right.” He got closer so he could study it more easily.

“Hmn,” Lamia said behind him.

“Something?” After all, she had been interviewed for the Librarian position, and she might see something he missed.

“I just wonder.”

“What is it?”

Lamia ran her fingers over the edge of the frame and nodded to herself. “As I thought. There had to be a reason a fake hung here for so long. There is a binary code along the side here. I think it's a message.”

“Coordinates?”

“Yes. Using this as a fixed point to lead to...”

“The crown?”

“Why don't we find out?”

Jake quickly looked around for Eve, but she was nowhere in sight. He'd have to catch up with her later.

They followed the trail out of the museum to an old sundial in the front. There was script around the outside, and Jake recognized the language.

“The crown of the Celts lies seventy leagues to the Great Woods.”

Lamia glanced at him. “What does that mean?”

“It means the crown is buried in the Black Forest.”

“What's this about the Black Forest?” Eve asked as she walked up to them.

She looked calm and unruffled, though her hair had fallen a bit out of her loose ponytail and there was a rip in her t-shirt.

“Where did you disappear to?”

“There was a problem. I took care of it.”

He nodded. “You always do.”

This earned him a faint smile. “If we're heading to the Black Forest, we'll need supplies.” She hesitated, and an expression of uncertainty came to her face. 

“What is it?”

“I don't know. I just have a bad feeling about this.”

Jake had known Eve long enough to trust her instincts. He nodded. “We'll be extra careful.”

She touched his arm briefly. “I won't let anything happen to you.”

“I know you won't.” He noticed Lamia watching them with interest, so he left it at that. “Come on, ladies. Let's go find the Crown of King Arthur.”

XXX

The Black Forest was tricky. They rented an old, beat up truck and drove to the middle of nowhere. Jake hadn't been expecting to find an ancient henge, but it was the last barrier protecting the Crown. With Lamia's help, he eventually cracked the mathematics based puzzle while Eve thwarted an attempt by the Serpent Brotherhood to kill them all.

Feeling exhausted but triumphant, they all returned to the Library, where Jake put the crown in one of their magic proof cases.

“Another job well done,” Jake said as he gently placed a glass dome over their newest acquisition. 

“You don't think the Brotherhood will give up that easily?” Eve asked. “This is the ultimate prize.”

“With the new perimeter alarm, no one can get in unless one of use lets them in,” he reminded her.

Instead of agreeing with him, she frowned. “Something still feels wrong. I can't put my finger on it, but it's making my skin crawl.”

Her agitation made him nervous. Eve wasn't someone who jumped at shadows. “Okay. We'll go see if we can find out what's going on.”

She stiffened, her face suddenly going blank. 

“Eve?”

“Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” he asked just as the perimeter alarm went off. He shared a look with her and said to Lamia, “Stay here. We're going to check that out.”

There were shouts and thumps and bangs. Eve was off like a shot, her long legs quickly eating up distance. Jake ran behind her, trying to catch up. They rounded the last corner to see a bunch of men coming out of the elevator. There were at least ten, and Jake's jaw dropped as he saw the Brotherhood symbol everywhere.

“How did they get in?”

“I don't know.”

They both ducked back around a bookshelf as one of the men let out a round of bullets in their direction. 

“I need my gun,” Eve said grimly as they crouched behind the shelf.

“Where is it?”

“I left it in the room with the Crown.”

He nodded. “We'll go back for it.”

“Let me lead. I think Lamia might be working with them.”

“Lamia?”

“How else could they have gotten in?”

Jake suddenly felt stupid, which was not a familiar feeling. “But she seemed so cut up about Shiar.”

“It's the only thing that makes sense.”

“And I left her with the Crown.”

“Then we'd better get back.”

They ran back the way they'd come. Eve entered the room first and stopped short. When Jake tried to pass her, she put her arm up to prevent him.

“Hello, Guardian, Librarian.” The voice was smooth and slightly arrogant. It belonged to a tall, gaunt man. Menace came off of him in waves, and his eyes were cold and hard. His arm was around Lamia, and the Crown was in his other hand.

Though he'd never seen him before, Jake took a stab with, “Dulaque.”

Dulaque smiled and it was chilling.

“Give me the Crown,” Eve said calmly and evenly, the threat plainly evident.

“Isn't that cute?” Dulaque sneered. “You think you're in control.”

Eve took a stride forward, and Dulaque put the crown on his head. His sneer got nastier, if possible, and he held up his hand. Somewhere in the Library, the sentient sword, Excalibur, was doing whatever swords did when they weren't hanging out with Librarians and Guardians. The thought flashed through Jake's mind and he suddenly knew what Dulaque was up to.

“Eve!”

“Excaliber, to me.” The words rolled off of Dulaque's tongue.

Eve reached him before the sword did, but Lamia stepped in front of her. Lashing out, she smashed Eve in the face with her fist. Eve faltered and took a step back before rounding on her and giving a blow of her own.

Excalibur was suddenly in Dulaque's hand, and Eve was exchanging blows with Lamia. Her back was to Dulaque, and Jake saw what was going to happen even though she couldn't. He ran forward, but he was too late.

Without even hesitating, Dulaque ran Eve through. Jake roared and sprang at him, but the old man was stronger than he looked. Instead of falling, he twisted, and it was Jake who fell. He hit the floor, and his breath left him in a whoosh. As he gasped for air, he helplessly watched Eve. She was clutching at the hole below her breasts, her face pale with shock. Blood stained both her hands and the blade. She crumpled soundlessly to the floor, the stain growing to quickly pool around her. Jake waited for Dulaque to turn Excalibur on him, part of him wanting it because he couldn't even imagine living without Eve.

The blow never came.

“Go!” Dulaque snapped at Lamia, who was staring at Eve in shock. “Tell them to take everything they can find. I'm taking the crown to safety.” 

Jake absently saw Lamia swallow hard but nod. Most of his attention was still on Eve. He couldn't look away.

Dulaque's voice was like a mosquito's drone as he said, “Good night, Librarian.”

There was a sharp pain, and Jake was suddenly swallowed by darkness.

He must have been out only seconds because Eve was still breathing when he woke. It was shallow and rattled loudly enough that it was the first thing he heard as the darkness receded.

“Eve...Eve...”

His head felt as if it were splitting in two, but he struggled to his knees. Not bothering to try to get to his feet, he shuffled over to Eve. Her skin was pale and clammy, and she felt cold to the touch.

Not knowing what else to do, Jake gathered her up and pulled her close to his body. Her blood smeared his arms and his clothes. The sight made his own breath catch, and a tight band around his chest made it hard to breathe. 

“Don't leave me, Eve,” he pleaded, burying his face in her hair. He knew it was a useless plea; wounds caused by Excalibur were always fatal. All that she had been to him flashed through his head. Best friend. Guardian. Lover. The voice of reason . His strength and determination when his own had run out. He didn't know how to be the Librarian without her. “I love you, darlin'. I love you.”

He held her tighter as the rattle stopped, and the room was filled with silence. Shaking, he started rocking her, his eyes dry but his heart breaking. 

It felt as if he held her like that for hours, but it couldn't have been very long because he heard the Library start to fold in on itself in response to Dulaque's invasion.

At the sound, Jake forced himself up to his feet. Determinedly, he bent and picked his Guardian up in his arms. If he was being forced from the Library, there was no way he was leaving her behind.


	2. Chapter 2

Eve Baird sat at her desk drinking a cup of black coffee. The strong, bitter taste and the jolt of caffeine were helping to open eyes weighted by too little sleep.

It'd been after three when she and Flynn had come back from their meeting with the fey in Ireland, and she had only been asleep for four hours when he'd called her to come back to work. 

When she arrived, he'd already been wired, whether from excitement or his own giant mug of caffeine, she didn't know.

This was why it hadn't worked between them, she thought as she listened to him rattle on about something she only half understood. Flynn was a very attractive man, and there was something about him that Eve had been drawn to—she was drawn to it even now. It had been enough for her to give romance a try, but it became obvious very quickly that the two of them were better as friends. His high energy and often manic displays of it were exhausting. Besides that, there was something missing. She didn't know what. After all, he cared for her deeply and was openly affectionate and often silly. Still, there was something she needed, something she craved, that he couldn't give her. They'd given it a couple of weeks before they decided that, even though they loved each other, they were never actually going to fall in love. 

“So, what do you think?” he asked when all the words and hand waving were done.

Eve sighed and put her cup on the desk. “Well...”

She was interrupted by the sound of their multi-dimensional door. Knowing this probably heralded the arrival of one—or all three—of their new Librarians, she trailed off to see who it was.

Two months before, Flynn had given them portable versions of the Clippings Book and sent them on their way, telling them not to come back unless they really needed to. When they called asking about a dangerous artifact they had retrieved, Flynn admitted he'd been hasty in his dismissal. If the junior Librarians were working for the Library, they deserved to use all of its resources for research, and the Library needed the artifacts that they were recovering. Stone, Ezekiel, and Cassandra were invited to use the Library as their home base when they needed to and asked to keep Flynn advised on what they were doing. It seemed to work, though the three of them spent as little time there as possible; Eve wondered if it was because they felt unwelcome.

Eve admitted to herself that she missed them. She'd spent more time with them than she had Flynn, and she'd begun to think of them as family. Not only that, but she worried about them. She'd been their Guardian first, and it bothered her to think of them out there on their own without her to protect them.

They were chattering away to one another as the door opened, Cassandra sounding like a little girl, and Stone arguing with Jones.

“I wonder how this thing works,” Jones commented, looking down at something he was holding in his hand.

“Don't even try it, Jones,” Stone said gruffly.

“Why not? With this, I could get in anywhere, even a bank vault. Now, tell me that's not tempting.”

“And you call yourself a Librarian.”

Cassandra glanced over and saw Eve and Flynn. “Guys.”

“Oh, come on. I didn't say I'd keep it. Just use it to...”

“Guys,” Cassandra spoke a little louder.

“What?”

She pointed over at Eve and Flynn. Jones just gave a wave, but Eve could have sworn Stone's face colored.

“Well, hello, my little Librarianettes.” Flynn smiled. “What have you brought us today?”

Ezekiel held up his hand. In it was stone about the size of his fist, multifaceted and the color of the sky on a sunny summer day.

“Is that...” Flynn took a step forward, his expression fascinated.

“Royal Lavulite?” Eve guessed.

He turned to her. “I could see why you'd think that, but no. Royal Lavulite is actually more purple than blue.”

“It's the Stone of Hope,” Stone said simply.

“Hope?”

“Given to the child of a god when she needed help finding her way home. It looks like a gem, but it's not a gem. Where did you find it?” Flynn's words came out in a rush, tumbled together.

“Looks like a gem.” Ezekiel tossed it in the air and caught it deftly. “Feels like a gem.” He tossed it again. “I still think it's a gem.”

“Be careful with that. No one knows how it's activated.”

“I say we find out. It could come in handy.”

Eve came out from behind the desk to join the others. As she did, Ezekiel once more tossed the gem in the air. It sparkled as it turned end over end.

Annoyed, she reached out to snatch it out of the air. “Eze...”

The moment her skin touched the Stone, there was a flash of blinding light and, for an instant, Eve felt as if she couldn't breathe. She threw up her arm to shield her eyes and took a step back. The ground shifted beneath her feet, and she stumbled, the Stone of Hope tumbling from her hand.

“Hi, there,” a smooth, kind voice said. “Where did you come from?”

As Eve's watery eyes cleared, she tried to adjust to the fact that she was suddenly outside. She was surrounded by forest, and in front of her was a steep cliff leading down to swift and deep river. Stunned, she turned to face the man who'd spoken.

Shock went over his face, and his right arm came up, almost as if he were going to reach out for her. “Eve?”

He was shorter than she was but strong and muscular. His hair was a bit long and shaggy; his clothes were a bit ragged and torn. He looked both familiar and foreign, and Eve just stared at him, unable to speak.

“Eve...are you...?” He came forward slowly, searching her face.

He was Jacob Stone, not her Jacob Stone, but that didn't mean she didn't know him. It wasn't the first time she'd met alternate forms of her friends.

“I'm Eve,” she managed to force out, “but I'm not your Eve. I come from an alternate timeline.”

“Were you here about two months ago?” he asked. “You and a timid professor you claimed was your Librarian?”

“Yes.” Eve sighed in relief. Though she'd known this version of Stone for less than an hour, she both liked and trusted him.

His face broke into a grin, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “So, you made it? You were able to put everything back together again. And you lived.”

The thought made him look so happy, she decided not to tell him that was not exactly true.

“You didn't cease to exist.”

“No.” He shook his head. “I was as surprised as you are.”

He certainly looked substantial. His face was a little more haggard, and he looked exhausted, but he was definitely very much alive.

“Maybe our timelines all always existed, and the cutting of the fabric of the Loom of Fate just allowed them to touch briefly,” he continued.

Eve nodded. She had liked all three of the alternates of her friends she had met, and it pleased her to think of all of them living on.

“I'm really glad to see you.” He wasn't just saying this. She could see it in his face, in his eyes. He was looking at her now as he had then, and it made her feel both uncomfortable and welcomed. “I'd hug you, but I'm afraid you'd run away from me again.” Amusement twinkled in his eyes briefly. “How'd you get here? Are the universes mixing again?

“No.” Eve looked down at her hand and realized that the Stone of Hope was gone. “Crap.”

Suddenly, she remembered dropping the Stone while her body was going through the shock of transition.

“What's wrong?”

Eve ignored him and turned back to the cliff. Quickly, she bent and searched the ground around her with both her hands and her eyes.

“What are you looking for?”

“A blue stone, about the size of my fist.”

“Something fell down the cliff when you appeared. I thought it was a loose rock.”

“Crap,” she repeated, leaning forward to peer down. It was a long, steep drop, and the Stone could be anywhere. No flash of blue betrayed its hiding place, and Eve felt herself go cold. There was so much area to cover that she might not even be able to find it.

“I take it this stone is important.”

“It's what brought me here. Without it, I can't get home.”

“Okay, so now I know how you got here, my next question is why are you here?”

“I don't know,” she said, pushing herself back from the edge and into a seated position. 

He stared at her for a minute before offering her his hand. “I'd ask you to explain what you're talking about, but there just isn't time.”

“What do you mean?”

“Storm's comin'.”

“A storm?”

“Not just a storm. A storm we do not want to be caught in.”

“Stone, I'm not going anywhere. I have to search for...”

He interrupted her. “I'm not leaving you out here to die, Eve. I lost you once, and once was enough. Now, come on. This cliff will still be here after the storm. I hope.”

“That bad?”

“That bad.”

She took his hand and let him draw her to her feet. It was warm and calloused. Strong, too. In the past, she'd always been surprised at how strong Stone's hands were. Knowing how sensitive he was and hearing him go on about art and architecture and history, she sometimes forgot that he spent his whole life performing hard labour. There was something more to the clasp of this Stone's hand, though, something that came from over ten years of being the Librarian. It was firm and confident. In fact, everything about him was firm and confident, as if he'd accepted the two parts of his nature in a way the Stone from her own timeline hadn't figured out how yet.

“I've got a truck just beyond those trees,” he told her. “We should just have enough time to get to it and, if we drive like a bat out of hell, make it to the small cabin I rented when I found out about the storms. It's already shored up, with plywood over the windows, so we should be safe.”

“Should?”

“No questions. Run.”

Without checking to see if she was following, he turned and started for the trees. Having no other choice, she took off after him. Eve was slightly faster than he was, so when she jumped in the passenger side, she reached over to turn the key. The truck was already going when Stone hopped into the driver's seat.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“The cabin's just up here, through the trees. I think we'll make it.”

He put the truck in gear and it lurched forward, almost throwing Eve against the dash. She put her hand out to catch herself and grunted at the impact.

“So,” he asked, sparing her an amused glance. “How is the alternate me? Still an ass?”

“He has his moments,” she replied, wincing as they hit a hole deep enough to break an axle on a smaller vehicle. 

Though the truck bobbed and weaved, his hands were sure on the wheel. There was some dirt on his knuckles and under his nails, showing he hadn't been on that cliff to take a stroll.

Her eyes went from his eyes to his face. He was watching the road, so she felt free to study him. He had strong features, rugged compared to the Stone of her own world, and his blue eyes, while still kind, had seen pain and horror. During their last meeting, she'd felt a connection with him, and it seemed to still be there.

He glanced at her again, so Eve turned to the windshield.

“The cabin's just ahead.”

When it appeared from among the trees, Eve didn't think it looked sturdy enough to weather a killer storm. Any paint it had once had had peeled off long before, and the exposed wood was gray and pocked with numerous small scars. The only bit of color belonged to the new, brownish-yellow pieces of plywood nailed on either side of a weather-beaten door.

“Oh, this looks safe.”

“Safer than outside.” He hopped out of the truck. “Come on. We have to get inside.”

The inside of the cabin was rustic but clean. It didn't look nearly as run down as the outside.

“Believe it or not, the place comes with a large generator. I've got electricity, running water, even an indoor bathroom. All the comforts of home.”

As he said this, Stone busied himself, closing the door and pulling the rickety kitchen table over to barricade it.

“I don't know if this is going to be heavy enough. When the storm gets here, we might have to sit on it.”

“What is this storm you keep talking about? There wasn't a cloud in the sky.”

“It's not that kind of storm. Not entirely.” The way he looked at her was so direct, Eve almost took a step back. Seeing so much intensity on a face that was usually so guarded was discomfiting.

“Then what kind of storm is it?”

There was a loud boom, and the cabin shook. Eve, not normally one to jump at strange noises, started and looked around nervously. 

Stone hopped onto the table. “It's a storm of death, and it's here.”

A sudden rattling surrounded them, like the teeth of a thousand freezing children.

“It's an attack in two directions. Spears of ice fall from the sky, impaling anything they can catch...”

Eve glanced up, wondering if they would be sharp and heavy enough to pierce the roof.

“And bugs. Bugs made of glass. At least that's what they feel like as they fly by and strip off your flesh.”

“What the hell kind of storm is that?”

“A storm built of wild magic. I was too late to stop it from being released into the world, but I prevented the Brotherhood from wresting control. The problem is, now no one can control it. It's ripping everything apart.”

There was a sound like pebbles being thrown at the door. It started slowly, then sped up until the sound was almost deafening. The door started hitting against the table. Eve quickly joined Stone to lend her weight to the barricade.

“How long do these usually last?” Eve asked.

“About two hours. They come at the same time every day. I haven't found out how to stop it yet.”

There was a violent shaking as the door tried to burst open but couldn't because there was too much weight against it.

“So,” Stone said loudly, his voice vibrating, “want to tell me how you got here? We have a bit of time.”

“It was this Stone. I think Flynn or Stone called it the Stone of Hope.”

“Oh, yeah. I've heard of that. But that shouldn't have brought you here. Unless...” He trailed off and his expression became unreadable.

“Unless what?”

“Do you know how the Stone of Hope works?”

“No clue. Ezekiel thought he could use it to get into bank vaults.”

For almost a full minute, the only sounds were the ones caused by the storm. Finally, he said, “It's not a teleportation device.”

She looked at him skeptically.

“Not just a teleportation device,” he amended. “It wouldn't just bring you here for no reason.”

“I have no idea why.” She blew away a strand of pale hair that had shaken loose from her ponytail. “All I know is I need to get back to that cliff and look for it so I can get back home.”

“It'll be after dark when the storm stops. We'll go in the morning.”


	3. Chapter 3

Cassie stared in disbelief at the place where Colonel Baird had just been. 

“Eve!” Flynn cried, springing forward, but he was too late.

Ezekiel looked just as shocked as Cassie felt. His eyes were big and round, and his mouth was open.

“What happened? Where did she go?”

“You must have activated the Stone,” Jake told him gruffly. “I told you not to play with it.”

“Where do you think she went?” Cassie asked quietly.

Flynn was still staring at the place where Eve had been. “She could be anywhere.”

“But she can use the gem to come right back, right?” Ezekiel asked.

Cassie shook her head. “She doesn't know how to activate it. None of us do.”

“Besides,” Stone ran a hand through his hair, his face more serious than usual. “It doesn't work like that.”

“It doesn't?”

“No.” Flynn glanced at her. “Even if she could activate the Stone, it might not bring her back here. It might not even work for her at all now that...”

“Now that what?” Ezekiel asked, worry and guilt passing briefly over his face before he pushed them away.

“It's the way the Stone works,” Jake explained. “It's not really just a teleportation stone, like those stones in Ukraine that Baird told us about. It's about longing. It doesn't focus on a place; it focuses on someone or something you're longing for, even subconsciously.”

“That means,” Flynn took up the explanation, “if you're content, the Stone might not even work, or it could take you somewhere you hadn't expected. So much of our longings are subconscious. There's no way to control where you end up.”

Ezekiel paled. “So, you mean I could have ended up inside of the vault but unable to get back out?”

“I told you, Jones, you've got to stop messing with stuff. One of these days, you're going to piss off the luck gods.”

He waved off Jake's words and continued, “So, what do we do about Colonel Baird?”

Cassie took out her cell phone. “I'm going to call her.”

Flynn pointed at her. “Good idea. As long as she's in a place with service, we can find her and bring her home.

She dialed the number to Eve's cell and frowned when it went directly to voicemail.

“What? Why are you frowning?”

“I got her voicemail.”

“What do we do now?” Jones demanded.

“We wait and hope she can get to a phone and tell us where she is.”

“For how long?”

Flynn's face turned grim. “As long as it takes.”

XXX

As the magical storm raged outside, Eve caught herself stealing glances at the man sitting beside her. She realized that she knew almost nothing about him. He was like her Stone, but there seemed to be even more lurking beneath his surface. She assumed his life had been similar to that of his alternate up until he became the Librarian, but she only had a vague idea of what that past was like. She wondered where the courage to go for his interview at the Library had come from. What was lurking behind that Librarian face and the eyes that had seen too much?

Besides the fact that he'd been a cowboy and a labourer before becoming the Librarian, Eve only knew two other things about him. One was that he was as good a fighter as she was. The other was that he looked at her as if she were the light of his universe. No one had ever looked at her that way and, even though she knew it was because of the other her, it made her feel slightly flushed.

Because of the generator, they didn't lose their lights, but the sound of the storm made it impractical to talk. The thunks against the door were almost like blows to the head at first, but, as time wore on, they became little more than background noise.

It took two hours and fifteen minutes for the storm to work itself out. It stopped so abruptly that the sudden lack of sound was almost as painful as the proceeding cacophony.

“Well, that's over for another day.” Stone's quiet voice broke the silence and, with an almost audible whoosh, the world righted itself.

“How long has that been going on?”

“Don't know,” he admitted, “but I heard about it a week ago. For the life of me, I can't find what's causing it. I don't dare to leave until I stop it. Not a lot of people come up here, but there are a few hikers and campers. That's not even mentioning the local wildlife.”

Eve winced to think what the falling ice spikes and flying knife bugs could do to a canvas tent. “You've been here a week?”

“Not yet. This is day three for me. I've been trying to pinpoint the storm's origin. I've narrowed it down to somewhere around that ridge you showed up on. I have no idea why it starts there, but I'm going to do a good search there tomorrow to see if I can find my answers.” He broke into a sudden wide smile. “It really is good to see you, Eve.”

Once more, Eve felt a flush come to her face. To hide her discomfort, she slid off the table and made a show of looking around the cabin. “You know, it's really not that bad in here.”

“Like I said, all the comforts of home.” He hopped down and started dragging the table back where it belonged. “There's one bedroom. You can have it. I'll sleep out here on the couch.”

“You don't have to give up your bed...”

He turned, dropping his gaze to her legs. “Believe me, I'm a much better fit for the couch.”

She eyed it. Admittedly, it looked a little small for her, but it would be almost as small for him. “I can always sleep on the floor.”

“Don't be silly, Eve. Take the bed.”

She put up her hands. “All right. All right.”

He acknowledged this with a quick wink and went into the kitchen. “You hungry?”

“Actually, yes,” she admitted. Her lunch seemed like a distant memory.

“Eggs?”

“You've got eggs?”

“Sure. I didn't know how long I was gonna be here. I brought enough food for a couple of weeks—and the gas to run the generator.”

“Smart.”

“Yeah. Scrambled?”

“Yes,” she said. It was odd that he knew things about her that the Stone of her world didn't.

As he busied himself in the fridge, Eve opened the door and looked outside. The ground was littered with little translucent bugs and already melting icicles. She stepped out and looked at the front of the cabin in bemusement. Thousands of the same bugs were imbedded in the wood. She tentatively reached out for one.

“Careful.”

The word came from directly behind her, and Eve's reflexes almost forced her to lash out. Her mind recognized the voice before her body reacted, and she calmly said, “You shouldn't sneak up on me like that.”

“Sorry.”

She didn't look at him and tried to ignore how close he was standing. “I just wanted to see what it felt like.”

“Sharp.” His breath tickled the back of her neck. “They can't be handled without gloves. Funny thing about them is they melt as the ice melts. Everything'll be gone by morning but the scores in the wood.”

“Do you think they're made of ice, too?” she asked, glancing at him. 

“They aren't cold to the touch.”

She turned to face him fully. “And how do you know that?”

He held up his right hand, and she saw a small bandage on his index finger. “The same reason I know they can't be handled without gloves.”

“Librarians. They're like brilliant children.”

“You were going to touch one,” he protested.

“To see if they were a threat.”

“You want me to believe curiosity had nothing to do with it?”

“Of course not,” she lied.

Stone just shook his head. “I'd better go check on the eggs.”

Eve didn't realize how much warmth had been coming from him until he went back into the cabin. The night was suddenly brisk and chill, and the ting of icicles and insects falling from the trees was almost eerie.

It came to her suddenly that she was in a world she knew nothing about and possibly facing dangers she could never foresee. She was dependent on this new version of Stone to help her navigate this strange territory. It was a good thing she trusted him. Not only had he risked his own life to save hers the last time she'd been trapped in this timeline, he also had enough of the Jake Stone she'd been spending most of her time with for the past several months in him that she knew he would also always do the right thing. Really, if she had to be stranded in unfamiliar territory, Jake Stone—especially this Jake Stone—wasn't a bad person to be stranded with.

Feeling slightly homesick, Eve went back into the cabin and shut the door. Stone was at the stove mixing something with a spatula. She noticed the chairs were all neatly around the table as if they'd never been anywhere else. 

“Almost done,” he said, glancing at her over his shoulder. “Have a seat.”

She sat, asking, “How are things going with the wild magic? Last time I saw you, you mentioned war and monsters and failing technology.”

“The world's still falling apart.” He started piling eggs onto plates. “I've been doing what I can to keep things together, but without the Library...”

“Wait,” Eve interrupted, “what about the Annex?”

“I haven't been able to find one. The locations are in a book in the Library. It's a catch 22. I've been using mostly rumour and instinct.” He stopped what he was doing and turned to stare at her. “Do you know where there's one?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.”

Suddenly, he was smiling at her again, and she had to smile back. “That's the best news I've heard in six months. Where is it?”

“Oregon.”

“Oregon, huh?”

“In my timeline, it has a helpful...but cranky...caretaker. Jenkins. He has a Clippings Book that can tell you where the problems are and a door that can send you anywhere.”

“He got one of the doors to work?”

She nodded and took the tin plate he held out to her. “Thanks. With some tweaking, it's actually quite accurate, but the ride's a bit bumpy.”

“I wonder if there's a Jenkins in my timeline.”

Eve thought about what she had discovered about Jenkins. “I'm pretty sure there's a Jenkins in every timeline. The question is, does your Jenkins work for the Library?”

“I guess we know where I'll be going once I figure out the cause of the death storms.”

As Eve took a bite of her eggs, she considered how difficult the last six months had been for him. It had been hard enough in her world where there'd been five of them fighting against half as much magic. They'd had Jenkins and some of the Library's resources, and they still were sometimes surprised when they were all alive at the end of the day. This Stone had nothing. He'd had to do everything on his own, with not even a tenuous connection to the Library. Still, he had managed to survive, and he was fighting against the darkness every day. No wonder he looked so exhausted.

He stopped with his fork halfway to his mouth. “What?”

“Huh?”

“You're staring at me.”

“Oh.” She dropped her eyes, feeling slightly embarrassed. “There's just...well, there's something else.”

“Something else?” He put down his fork and looked at her with an intensity that almost made it hard for her to breathe. 

“It's about the Library.” She met his gaze, waiting for him to reply. He remained silent, his eyes never wavering from hers, so she continued, “Flynn found a way to retrieve it.”

“Did you just say...?”

She gave a brief nod. “It's not easy, and you'll probably need the Annex—and maybe Jenkins, if you can find him—to gather the components, but it can be done. We did it. That's how our Dulaque managed to merge the timelines. He opened a doorway to the Loom of Fate when we were trying to access the Library.”

Stone looked as if he couldn't speak. His hands gripped the side of the table, and an expression full of both pain and hope came to his face. It was so raw that Eve had to look away to respect his privacy. She turned her attention to her plate.

After at least a minute of silence, he asked, his voice rough, “Eve, do you know how to retrieve the Library?”

“I'm pretty sure I can remember what he used, even if I don't know why or how. If he figured that out, you should be able to.” She didn't tell him that she never would have mentioned it if she didn't think he could recreate it.

“Will you write down all the components for me?”

His voice was starting to sound more normal, though it was obvious he was excited. She dared to look at him again. 

“Of course. As soon as we've finished eating. It's going to take some hard work.”

“I think I can handle it.”

“So do I.”

He tore into his eggs, eating them quickly, and Eve was reminded of a little boy, eager for dessert. In fact, he seemed both younger and lighter somehow. Eve was amazed at how just a little hope had taken some of the weariness from his face.

She ate more slowly, concentrating on what she could remember about bringing back the Library. Stone was counting on her, and she didn't want to let him down.


	4. Chapter 4

Jake lay in the dark listening to the silence. The only sounds were the occasional hoot of an owl and a squeak once in a while as Eve shifted on the uncomfortable cot in the next room.

Having her here was both amazing and painful. She had the face and body, even the personality and almost thirty years of memories, as the woman he had loved for ten years, the woman he still loved, but she was not that woman. She was an Eve who had never loved him, an Eve who had never been his Guardian. She was not his Eve but, somehow, she still was.

He'd been so glad to see her, and it wasn't just because she wore Eve's face. He'd been worried about her. When she and Carson went back to repair the Loom of Fate, Jake had been sure she would die. He couldn't explain the certainty he'd felt, but somehow he knew she'd succeed but die in the process. Seeing her appear on the cliff had been like a miracle.

Even more miraculous was her knowing what it would take to get the Library back. The list she'd given him was difficult but doable, and it was the first sliver of hope he'd had in a long time. Even though the Loom of Fate had been mended, it still seemed that fate had sent her to him when he needed her most.

Throughout the whole evening, he hadn't been able to stop watching her. Relief that she was still alive and the painful pleasure of seeing the face he'd missed so much kept him sneaking glances and trying to make her smile. She was a little more serious than his Eve, a little colder and world weary, but he could see the things he had loved so much in her. Already he felt affection for her growing, affection he had no business feeling, and he wanted to give her some of the hope she had given him.

Jake knew he had to be careful. He had to remember she was not the Eve he had known. He couldn't touch her or treat her in an overly familiar way. His mind knew she was a different person, but there had been times over the past few hours when his heart and his body had almost forgotten.

Given time, he'd like to get to know her in her own right. He'd like to find out what made her unique, to be her friend and ask her what had put those shadows in her eyes.

Jake was both sad and relieved that she was determined to find the Stone and go home as soon as possible. Having her there was a distraction he couldn't afford, but it assuaged a little of the loneliness he'd been living with for months.

At this point, he had no idea if she could go home. If the Stone of Hope had brought her here, some part of her had really wanted to see him again. The Stone worked with your deep longings and so it could be unpredictable. If part of her wanted to be here with him, it was possible the Stone might not work at all.

Really, he should have told her this earlier, but he'd chickened out. How could he tell her that the Stone had brought her here because some part of her longed for him—or something he represented? If he knew Eve, and he was pretty sure he did, she would have become defensive and maybe angry at the thought.

Jake sighed and rolled over, punching the flat cushion he'd been lying on to try to fluff it a little. He needed to get some sleep. Tomorrow could bring almost anything.

XXX

They waited together until after midnight. As the evening went on, Cassandra got more and more fidgety, and Jones got more and more restless. What concerned Jake the most was the worry that grew more and more evident on Flynn's face.

Finally, Flynn got up and looked at them all seriously. “There's nothing we can do tonight. When Jenkins gets back from his vacation tomorrow, we'll get him to use his machine to see if Eve is still here.”

Jake remembered the instrument Flynn was talking about. They'd used it once before when Baird had vanished.

“So, we do what?” Jones's voice sounded slightly strained.

Flynn shrugged. “Go home. Go to bed.”

“Are our old rooms still here?” Cassie asked. “I don't want to leave. What if she calls?”

“As a matter of fact, I believe they are.” Both the Library and the Annex made and deleted rooms as they needed them. 

“Do you mind if we stay?” Jake asked, knowing that Flynn was sometimes touchy about the Library.

Flynn glanced at Jones and then Cassandra. “No. I don't mind. Go up and get some sleep.”

“Will you be getting some?”

“Someone's got to wait by the phone.” When Jake opened his mouth to protest, Flynn raised his hand. “There's a phone by the couch in Jenkin's sitting room. I'll nap there.”

Only half mollified, Jake turned to follow Jones and Cassandra up the stairs. As he went, he wondered where Baird was and if she were safe. He didn't even want to admit out loud how worried he was. She was one of the best friends he'd ever had, and she was the person he trusted most. She'd quickly earned his respect the first time he'd met her, mostly because she was saving his life at the time. The friendship had come later.

He missed that friendship. Even when he, Cassie, and Jones had set out on their own, he had missed it. Baird had been an important member of their team; she'd been their Guardian first. Jake couldn't imagine never seeing her again. He needed someone who wasn't afraid to slap him in the back of the head—or elbow him in the chest—when he deserved it. Cassandra certainly wouldn't do it, and if Jones tried, Jake would break his arm.

Thoughts of Baird plagued him as he settled down in his old, familiar bed. He kept thinking of her hurt and alone, with no one there to have her back. Flynn, at least, adored her, and Jake trusted him to protect her if he could, but he didn't like her being out there without one of them.

It wasn't that Baird couldn't protect herself—she was the toughest person he'd ever me—but she was only one person. Her body, though strong, was only human, and he'd seen her overcome by the supernatural before, usually when putting herself between it and the Librarians in Training.

Jake closed his eyes and tried to relax. The Annex was quiet and serene, but there was an undercurrent of worry, almost as if the Library itself were concerned about its missing Guardian. He had a feeling that he'd never get to sleep.

XXX

Eve woke to the sound of birds singing and animals scurrying. Something dropped onto the roof above her head, and she heard little feet pattering over the wood.

She lay on the hard cot with her eyes closed, trying to hold onto the last vestiges of sleep. It was no use. She was used to sleeping and waking on command, and the moment she reached consciousness, she was immediately alert.

Eve thought about Stone, asleep in the other room. Even though having her here must be weird for him, he was doing his best to make it not weird for her.

According to her watch, it was just after seven. Her bladder prodded her to get up and meet what was bound to be an unusual day. That didn't bother her. Unusual days had become par for the course over the last six months.

Eve stopped on the way to the main room to pull on the jeans she'd shucked the night before. She opened the door as quietly as she could, not wanting to wake him unnecessarily when he was obviously so exhausted. She couldn't even imagine what the last six months had been like for him. For her, it had been discovery and magic and adventure; for him, the world had been falling apart.

He had kicked his blanket off in the night, and he was sleeping on his back, with one arm over his head and the other curved over his bare chest. Eve's eyes lingered on him for a second, noticing against her will how fit ten years of hard labour followed by ten years as the Librarian had made him.

Feeling guilty, she forced herself to turn away and head to the bathroom. She heard him stir behind her.

“Eve?” he asked sleepily.

“I didn't mean to wake you.”

“What time is it?”

“Just after seven.”

The springs squeaked as he shifted and sat up, rubbing a tired hand over his face. “It's time I was up. The sooner I find out about the storms, the sooner I can find your Annex. If I'm lucky, the door there'll work and make my job much easier. Maybe I'll even have time to start thinking about what I need to do to retrieve the Library.”

“It must be difficult...fighting the magic all by yourself.”

“What choice do I have?” He sounded so weary.

Eve felt a small ache in her chest at this tone. It made her sad to see him look so beaten, especially after the hope she'd seen in him the night before. She wished that she could give him his own LITs, a group of junior Librarian to help him as her own LITs had helped Flynn.

One thing was sure, she thought as she studied him, trying to figure out how to reply, he couldn't go on like this. He couldn't keep fighting the monsters and the magic and the weird alone. Eventually, he would lose. Even with the Library, he had no chance against a world that was falling apart. In the end, it would kill him, and it would all be over. Eve found herself liking this Stone more and more as she spent time with him, so she hoped she wouldn't be around to see it. 

“I don't know,” she finally said simply. She had no other answer.

XXX

“Is there another way down there?” Eve asked, peering over the edge of the cliff at the distant water below. It wasn't a sheer drop down, but the slope was fairly steep. It was dotted with small bushes that hugged the rock as if they were afraid of falling. She didn't relish the thought of trying to go down.

Stone came up beside her, his body just brushing hers. “I think so, but it's rough enough that the Stone probably didn't make it to the bottom.”

Eve leaned forward to study the slope more carefully, deciding that he was right. “I'm never going to find the stupid thing.”

“I have some binoculars in the truck. Let me go get them.”

“No. It's my job to find the Stone of Hope. Yours is to find out what's causing the storms. You go do whatever it is you have to do. I'll probably still be here looking when you're done.”

“Are you sure?” He seemed hesitant.

She turned and put her hand on his forearm. His muscles jumped at the touch. “Go. Be the Librarian.”

“Okay,” he agreed. “I'll come look for you later, but don't wait for me. Use the Stone if you can.”

She didn't like the thought of just leaving him. “Stone...”

“Please, call me Jacob. You did before, and I'm the same man as I was then.”

“Jacob,” she tried the unfamiliar word, feeling how strange it was in her mouth. Her world's Stone had never asked her to use his first name, though he used hers on occasion.

Hearing her say his name made him smile and, before she knew it, he was wrapping her up in a hug. Surprised, she didn't protest as he pulled her against him. His body was warm and firm, and he smelled of hard work and sunshine. His hair was soft and scented of apples from the shower he'd taken just an hour before. Her own body hummed in response to the hug, just a soft, pleasant feeling.

“Be safe, Eve,” he murmured in her ear. “It was so good to see you again.”

Feeling both awkward and cared for, she briefly returned his hug. When he released her, he gently touched her cheek before turning and walking away.

As Eve watched him go into the forest, she thought about how much she was starting to like him. Some of that was because he reminded her of someone she considered a dear friend, but there was more to it than that. He possessed Stone's best qualities, but he also had the confidence and the courage to use them as he was meant to. That was an appealing side to him she'd like to get to know better if she had the time.

By the time she got back from retrieving the binoculars. Eve was looking forward to going home. She knew finding the Stone was improbable, but she was going to search until forced to give up.

Full of determination, she put the glasses to her eyes and searched the cliff face. Slowly, she went from clump of grass to clump of grass and from rock to rock.

She'd been searching for about a half an hour when a sound made her change her focus. Taking the glasses from her eyes, she searched the slope for what had made it. Surprise almost made her drop the binoculars when she saw a figure about halfway down. Quickly, she used the binoculars to see a path going along a more flat and even part of the slope. The path was almost unnoticeable to the naked eye, but it was clear when magnified.

Eve's focus went to the figure and she felt a jolt of shock. Dulaque! 

She watched him as he leisurely walked down the somewhat treacherous path. As if feeling her eyes on him, he paused and looked up. A nasty smirk crossed his face, and he gave a little wave.

“Dulaque!” she yelled, hoping to catch Jacob's attention.

Still smirking, Dulaque knelt and picked something up. It sparkled for an instant, and Eve just had time to realize what he held before he disappeared.

“No, dammit!” she cursed loudly. It echoed back at her from below.

“Eve? Are you okay?” She heard Jacob's voice before she saw him. He came running out from some nearby trees. His face had a smudge of dirt, and there was a trickling cut on his cheek.

“What happened?” she asked at the same time as he said, “I heard you yelling.”

“Are you hurt?” she continued.

“Nah,” he told her as he reached her, wiping a sleeve over his cut. “It's just a scratch.”

“Dulaque was here. He found the Stone.”

Jacob looked all around. “Dulaque? Where did he come from?”

“I don't know, but he used the Stone, and now both he and it are gone.”

“He can go anywhere with that Stone.” He kicked the ground.

“I know.”

“Nations are vulnerable. The whole world is vulnerable.”

“I know,” she repeated.

“Damn it.”

“That's what I said.”

He rubbed his forehead. “I can't go on like this anymore. I'm losing. The world's gonna explode, and there's nothing I can do to stop it.”

“Of course you can,” she told him sternly, though she was afraid he was right. “You're the Librarian.”

“This world doesn't need a Librarian. It needs a miracle.”

“Hey.” She took him by the shoulders and gave him a gentle shake. “One thing I've learned about Librarians—and I've known four of them—is that they don't give up.”

He stared at her, looking defeated. “I'm going to fail. There's no way I can win.”

“Are you really going to let that keep you from trying? With you, there's a slim chance, but, without you, there's no chance in hell.”

She watched as he digested this. His expression changed, determination making it grim. “You're right. I've got to fight the darkness. Win or lose.”

“And I'm going to help you.”

“What?”

“Dulaque has the Stone of Hope. I can't go home until we get it back—or find out where it's hidden in your world. Until then, you're stuck with me. I won't let you fight the wild magic alone.”

“No, you wouldn't, would you?”

“Of course I wouldn't. I'm the Guardian. Not your Guardian, of course, but I don't think that matters.”

She saw a bit of light come back to his eyes, a bit of hope to his face, and she knew she'd said the right thing.

“So, Librarian,” she added, “what do we do now?”

“I found something.” He turned and pointed. “Over there.”

That would explain the dirt and blood on his face. “What did you find?”

“I'm not sure. There's a cave, and it's guarded by bugs of glass like the ones that come out in the storms. I think there's something very nasty in that cave, but it's like nothing I've ever heard of.” He shook his head. “Before I became the Librarian, I was sometimes overwhelmed by all that I knew. Now, I'm constantly overwhelmed by everything I don't know.”

“What are you thinking?”

“The Annexes. Supposedly, they hold all the knowledge of the Library but not the artifacts.” He looked to her for confirmation. When she nodded, he continued, “I have no idea how to fight this thing. If I can get to an Annex, maybe I can find out what it is and what makes it vulnerable.”

“Makes sense.”

“So, we've got to get to Oregon.”

“By plane?”

“They've been falling out of the sky. About one in every fifty. I don't want to chance it. It's only about six hours by car. Damn, if I can get the door working, I wouldn't have to fear for my life every time I leave the Americas...Well, not from falling planes, anyway. The armed crazies, monsters, and war zones are another story.”

Eve looked around. “It's hard to believe the world is changing when it's so peaceful out here.”

He grinned at her. “Except for the nightly storms of death.”

“Yes. Except for those.”

“Come on. Let's go back to the cabin. We'll grab some stuff and then head out. Once in the Annex, we'll find out what to do about the storms and make a game plan. Who knows what Dulaque will be able to do with the Stone of Hope.”

Eve had a fleeting thought of home but pushed it from her mind. It was very far away, and there was no way for her to reach it. In the meantime, there were people here who needed her, people who needed to be protected. Not least of these was the Librarian from Oklahoma who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Eve had made an oath, and she was not going to turn her back on it now, not when she was needed so much.

She was a Guardian, and she was going to do her job.


	5. Chapter 5

“Well?” Cassie spoke first, asking the question that was going through everyone's mind.

Jenkins hummed and hawed, staring at the little black machine in his hand. Jake waited impatiently as Jenkins frowned and smacked the thing on its side.

“That's strange,” he said finally.

“What is it?” Flynn asked.

“Colonel Baird is no longer on the planet...at least I don't think so.”

Cassie took a step forward. “Is she dead?”

“I...I don't...I think she'd show up even as a corpse. I'm not seeing any trace of her at all.”

“Then where is she?” Jones demanded.

“I have no idea.”

Flynn started pacing. “Where could she want to be that's not on this world? The moon?”

“What if...” Jake said slowly, turning the idea over in his brain before voicing it. “What if Baird isn't in this world because she's in another reality?”

“What do you mean?”

“A couple of months ago. The day she...well...”

Cassie's face lit up in understanding. “Died. The day she died.”

“Yeah. Then.” Jake didn't remember much about that day, but he had a very clear picture of Baird dying in his arms. “Didn't she tell us that she...and you...” He pointed at Flynn, “had been traveling through different realities? Something about alternates of all of us and the worlds falling apart because we hadn't been together to work as a team.”

“That's right!” Flynn stopped pacing to wag his finger. “Three different worlds. All doomed. What if there was something in one of them that called her back?”

“You went through the worlds with her. Do you know what it could have been?” Cassie asked.

“I don't remember anything.”

“Do you think that's where she is?” Jones looked skeptical.

“It beats the alternative.”

“If that's true,” Stone asked the important question, “how do we get her home?”

“I don't think we can. She's going to have to use the Stone.”

“And if she can't?”

The look on Flynn's face told him everything he needed to know.

XXX

As they headed out of the wilderness of Washington State, Jacob began to tell Eve about North America's reality in the wake of a magic filled world. The United States had once more split into north and south, the President had been murdered, and each half had appointed its own leader. People had begun arming themselves and the most radical members of the NRA had taken over most of the power roles in both halves. It wasn't unusual to hear about mass shootings and riots, but they'd fared better than their neighbors to the north. Quebec had finally succeeded, as it had been threatening to do for a hundred years. Natives in British Columbia, the prairies, and the north had used the innate magic of their people to take back the land, and they were being as vicious in their reclaiming as the whites had been when they stole it in the first place. Ontario was holding its own, but it had closed its borders. Nothing had been heard from the Atlantic provinces in months. Strangely enough, Central and South America had remained mostly stable, though occasionally nasty surprises would appear that Jacob had to neutralize.

“And you don't even want to know about the rest of the world,” he told her, once more turning away from a road that would have taken them to the highway. He'd told her the back ways were best now. The people, though just as heavily armed, were less likely to shoot for no reason.

“How did everything fall apart so fast?” she asked, peering out at the trees, looking for signs of the unrest that plagued the country.

“When magical items started falling into the hands of power hungry people, failing technology had already caused a panic. Add the released monsters to that, and the world was vulnerable. It fell apart like a house of cards. Sooner or later, someone's going to do something stupid, and that's it. World over. At least the bombs don't work.”

“Which bombs?”

“Any of them, as far as I can tell.”

“The truck still works.”

“It's happening slowly. You never know what's going to stop working next. Some things might not stop at all. It's hard to tell. It's been over a thousand years since magic was this strong.”

“Even if you stop the wild magic, it's going to take decades to put everything back together.”

“Yeah. And who knows what things will look like when the dust settles.”

Eve lapsed into silence, studying him as he drove. His expression was intense and focused.

After several minutes, she asked, “Can I ask you something?”

He glanced at her. “Sure.”

“Why did you go for your interview...at the Library, I mean.”

“What?”

“In my world, Stone never went. He decided to stay and run the family business.”

“Fear.”

“Fear?”

“That's why he stayed. I'd been living two lives for years when I got my letter. Leaving home to answer it was the hardest...” He glanced at her again. “The second hardest thing I ever had to do. It could have gone either way. I was terrified to let Jake Stone and Richard Turnbull be the same person. To be one person.”

“Then why did you do it?”

“Curiosity mostly. I told myself I'd go and see what it was all about. I was sure they'd made a mistake. When I saw the Library, that was it. Love at first sight. I couldn't turn down the job any more than I could not think. Just a little more fear and a little less curiosity, and I could have been that guy, the Jake Stone who refused to be who he really was. This job saved me.”

“Then who would have saved the world?” She smirked slightly.

Instead of smiling, he frowned. “I'm doing a hell of a job so far.”

“It wasn't your fault.”

“I got you killed. I stopped Dulaque too late to prevent wild magic from being released. I'm barely holding things together.”

“In all of the other universes I visited, something went wrong. None but mine made it through without a mortal threat—unless you count the cutting of the threads. I think it's because there is supposed to be four Librarians, at least right now. That's the only way wild magic didn't take over. It's the only way I lived.”

“The only way?”

She faced the dash. “I died in every other timeline.” This was partially a lie but enough of the truth to prove her point. 

He turned this over in his mind. “So, you think we're doomed?”

“Over the last six months, I've become a princess, met Santa Claus, punched Morgan Le Fay, traded insults with Sir Galahad, traveled to alternate timelines, been turned into a being of light, looked a dragon in the eye, shot a minotaur in the crotch, and splintered into a billion pieces to spread hope through the world. I'm starting to believe in miracles and, if anyone can pull off a miracle, it's a Librarian. The fight's not over until we're both dead.”

This time the smile came out. “And sometimes after we're dead.”

“Exactly.”

They didn't talk much after that. Eve felt comfortable enough with him to doze periodically. When they did talk, it was mostly about the Annex and about the monsters Jacob had been fighting. They spent a half an hour in the middle of their journey with Eve telling him about Cassandra, Ezekiel, and the other Stone. 

Jacob asked lots of questions, and Eve found herself telling him stories about the adventures they'd had while Flynn was searching for the Library. It made her realize how much she missed the others, not just since she'd come to Jacob's universe but since the return of the Library.

Because they stuck mostly to the back roads and old highways, it took even longer for them to get to the Annex than Jacob had predicted. Eventually, though, Eve was directing him to their spot under the overpass and eagerly anticipating seeing something familiar even if there wasn't any Jenkins.

“Here?” Jacob asked as he pulled up in front of the Annex door.

“Unless there wasn't one here in your world.”

“All right.”

He was still taking his bag out of the truck when Eve hurried up to the entrance. She was disappointed to find the door locked.

“Damn,” she said, rattling it.

“It's okay.” Jacob came up behind her. “If this really is an Annex, I have a key.”

He put his bag down and started digging through his pockets. The key he produced was an old fashioned metal one.

“All the Library's entrances have the same key,” he explained.

When the door swung open, the familiar corridor was lined with cobwebs and dust, giving Eve her answer about Jenkins.

“You know, I've been thinking about something and, if the Annex has all the knowledge of the Library, I might be able to figure out...”

She glanced at him when he trailed off. “Figure out what?”

“The crown. Excalibur. Morgan Le Fay. Dulaque. The magic. It all fits together. Cal was the key to bringing magic back. Why was Cal the key?”

“I don't know.”

“I have a theory, but I'll have to do some research to see if I'm right.”

As they approached the entrance to the Annex, Jacob quieted and his steps slowed until he stopped right in front of the doors. He paused there, unmoving.

“Jacob?” she asked, calling him by his given name aloud for the first time since he'd requested she use it.

“Give me a minute.” There was something in his voice she'd never heard before. 

“What is it?”

“This is the first time...I haven't been back since...” He trailed off.

“Since?” she prodded.

He didn't look at her. “She died in the Library. We were near my office when I held her while she took her last breath.”

Moved, she put a hand on his arm. “She would have been proud of what you've accomplished on your own. I know I am.”

He placed his hand over hers and gave a gentle squeeze. His skin was warm and calloused, and Eve felt a surprising flutter in her stomach at the touch.

“All right. Let's go see what we can find out.”

Opening the door, Eve tried the lights. After the condition of the hallway, she was surprised when they came on. The Annex was also dusty, and it felt silent and empty.

“Your caretaker...” Jacob snapped his fingers. “What did you say his name was?”

“Jenkins.”

“Yeah, him. He doesn't seem to be here. Someone was at one point, but they're long gone.”

“It was a slim chance, anyway.” Eve went over to the desk and noted its default was a hodgepodge of art books and pictures of two smiling blond girls with his eyes.

“My nieces,” he supplied as he saw where she was looking. “The youngest two. I have two more and a couple of nephews.”

“I'll bet you're their favorite uncle.” Eve wondered if he knew that she'd briefly considered that the girls might be theirs.

“I don't get to see them as much as I'd like, especially now. Before all this trouble started, my sister used to bring Lilly and Meg up once or twice a year to visit me. I miss 'em.”

“They're cute.”

“Smart as whips, too. Lilly's already reading at a high school level, and Meg paints like Michelangelo.”

Eve had to smile at the pride in his voice. “I hope I get to meet them.”

She passed the desk and noticed an old globe by one of the doors leading out of the room. She felt some excitement as she noticed they were hooked together. “Look at this.”

“The door?”

“Someone was working on it at one point.”

“Let's try it out.” He joined her at the globe and expertly spun it around to a place in France.

“Have you done this before?”

“Nope.” He grinned as he set the machine and opened the door. “Look. It's the Eiffel Tower. The last time I was in Paris...” He stopped and looked at her. “Well, you don't want to hear about that.”

“Does it involve me being naked?”

“Maybe.”

Having served with so many men she couldn't remember them all, Eve rarely blushed, but the image that came to her mind briefly caused her face to heat. “Then no. Definitely don't want to hear it.”

Jacob laughed. It was just a short burst of sound that seemed a little rusty, but Eve was glad to hear it. His loss hung heavy on him here, not just the other Eve, but the Library, Judson, Charlene, and his control over the evil in the world. The sorrow in his eyes hadn't been masked by the brave face he forced himself to wear.

He closed the door and winked at her, some of the light back in his face. She wanted to touch him again but instead she went over to the table.

“I'll sit here and wait—maybe order some pizza. Are you hungry? Do they still deliver pizza?”

“Pizza sounds good. Since the lights are working, there's probably a phone. I'm not sure if there's still delivery in this area, but it won't hurt to try.”

“Okay, I'll call. You go do your research.” A piece of paper on the table caught her eye. Its familiar writing made her snatch it up. “Wait.”

“What is it?”

“It's from Jenkins.”

“What does it say?”

“Sir,

Circumstances beyond my control have forced me to leave this Annex. I plan to return when I am able. If you visit in the meantime, you will find everything you need here. I was able to get the door working, and what can't be found in the stacks you should be able to find in my office. The kitchen is fully functional even though all the perishables have been discarded. The Annex has one bedroom, located up the stairs and down the hallway on the right. I've got automatic payments set on the utilities, and they should be good for at least one hundred years, unless something apocalyptic happens.

I'm sorry I can't be here to meet you in person. Beware the Serpent Brotherhood.

J”

“When was it written?”

Eve shrugged. “It doesn't say.”

“I guess we have him to thank for the lights and the working door.”

“I guess so.”

“The phone might be in his office.”

“I'll give it a shot.” She made shooing motions. “You. Go research.”

For an instant, he looked as if he wanted to say something else, something serious. She saw it in his eyes and in the set of his mouth. He paused before he spoke, his expression changing, and he just said, “Call me when the pizza gets here.”


	6. Chapter 6

Jake researched for most of the day. He paused only for pizza and then went back to search some more. 

As the day went on, his research was hindered by thoughts of Eve, both his own and the alternate waiting downstairs for him.

It was hard being here, in an exact replica of his office and the archives above it. Memories of Eve's life and death were almost overwhelming, and he ached for the love he'd lost. He saw her everywhere.

It helped that he wasn't alone. The Eve that was with him, the new Eve, Eve Number Two—he didn't know how to refer to her in his mind to keep from touching her, holding her, and pretending she was his. When he saw her in this place, she looked as if she belonged. She seemed as much his as the Eve he had lost. It was dangerous to think, dangerous to feel, but he couldn't help himself.

Jake thought back to earlier in the day when he couldn't bring himself to tell her the Stone of Hope might not work. The part that cared for her didn't want to take her hope away, and the selfish part of him was still avoiding telling her why it had brought her to him in the first place. Eventually, he would have to tell her. Maybe then she could figure out why some part of her had longed to be with him. Really, it didn't make sense. They'd known each other only almost an hour, and she had her own Jake Stone, whom she was just friends with, and Flynn, who was her Librarian.

The two of them together briefly went through Jake's head, and it hurt even though he knew he had no right to be jealous.

Despite his lack of focus, Jake finally found what he was looking for as an aside in an obscure text. He tucked the book under his arm and headed for the stairs.

On his way down, he could see Eve at the table. There was a very old, very huge book in front of her, and she was reading intently. Jake couldn't help the small smile that touched his face. Seeing her there was like a balm to his grief.

“Interesting reading?” he asked.

She turned to look at him, her face pale. “I didn't know it was so bad.”

His smile dropped away. “What are you reading?”

“The Clippings Book.”

“The Clippings...Oh.” He remembered her mentioning it when she'd told him about the Annex.

“All the death...all the destruction...We've got to stop it.”

“I'm trying, darlin'.”

Her face softened, and she stood and closed the book. “I know you are.”

“I'd understand if you wanted to track down Dulaque and get back the Stone.”

She stared at him. “And just leave you here to fight the wild magic alone?”

He wanted to point out that this had been her intention a few hours ago. Deciding against it, he just said, “It's not your world.”

“So many people are dying.”

“What happens here won't affect what happens in your reality. It won't matter one way or another once you're home.”

“No. You're wrong. Those things in the Clippings Book, they're worse than I imagined. Do you think I'll be able to forget them just because I'm not here?”

“It might not get better, Eve. I can't be everywhere at once.”

“What about that idea you were telling me about? Something about the legend of King Arthur?”

He went over and put the book he was holding down beside the Clippings Book. “It's just an idea.”

“Tell me.”

“Well, I got to thinking. When most of the magic was bled out of the world, it was locked away using Excalibur for the key. Arthur's Crown controlled Excalibur. Dulaque knew exactly how to release the magic. How did he know? Why was the magic tied to objects from Camelot and the Round Table?”

“Go on.”

“This might sound crazy, but I think Dulaque might be Lancelot du Lac.”

“I don't think it sounds crazy at all.”

He could tell she knew something that he didn't. “Why's that?”

“While I was...” She stopped, an unfamiliar expression going over her face and driving home that she wasn't the Eve he remembered.

“While you were what?”

“When Flynn and I went back to fix the Fabric, I was wounded.” She avoided his eyes. “While I was lying on the ground, I heard Dulaque, Flynn, and Jenkins talking. A lot of it didn't make sense at first because I'm not that familiar with the legend. Dulaque is Lancelot du Lac, and Jenkins is his son.”

“Galahad?” This was a surprise. “How did Galahad end up working for the Library?”

“I think they took different sides on the whole magic thing.” She waved a hand as if to encompass all that was happening.

“So, then it's true. There are people from that time still alive today. The magic of Camelot has let them survive through the centuries.”

“Morgan Le Fay looked pretty healthy for her age the last time I saw her.”

Jake nodded thoughtfully. “If I'm right about that, I might be right about the solution.”

She folded her arms. “Which is?”

“Merlin.”

“Merlin?”

“I think he's the one who originally locked away most of the wild magic. If he did it once, he could do it again. I think he's still alive, like the rest, but I don't know where—yet.”

“And you think the answer might be here?”

“If it was written down, the Library has a record.”

“Merlin, huh?”

“Is it any more far fetched than a monster that hunts by magical storm?”

“Oh! Did you find out what it was?”

“Yes, but,” he glanced at the clock, “we're too late to do anything tonight. The storm will start in about an hour.”

“So, we wait?”

“Yeah.” He nodded. That would give him some time to start his research on Merlin. “Is there any pizza left?”

“Not much. Do you want me to go back to the cabin and grab something out of the fridge?”

He'd forgotten about the door. “That'd be awesome. You bring it back, and I'll cook it. For now, I'm going back to the stacks.”

Leaving the book with details on the storm on the table, he headed back up the stairs, pushing thoughts of Eve aside and wondering where the best place to start looking for Merlin was.

XXX

The Annex had grown another bedroom by the time Eve and Jacob headed to bed. The extra room looked remarkably like the one she'd had when she and the Librarians in Training had lived in their own Annex. It was almost surreal to be in there, knowing just how far away her real bedroom was.

She felt at home, more than she had felt at home in two months. Once the Annex had become the permanent home to the Library, at least until it needed to be moved again, they'd all moved out. Both she and Flynn had gotten apartments in Portand, but she was surprised to realize she had no idea where the others were living.

It was strange. She had lived in the Annex for barely four months, but somehow it was the only place that had ever really felt like home to her. She'd decided it was because the Annex was the only place she'd ever lived that she'd allowed to feel like home. Nick was the one she had to thank for that. He'd shown her that home was anywhere that you let yourself belong. With his guidance, she'd let the others in, and they'd become a family. A sometimes dysfunctional family, but a family.

Unlike her own bedroom, this one was right beside Jacob's. She could hear him moving around and the creak of the bed as he either sat or lay down. Eve stilled and listened, wondering what he was doing and if he would sleep. Jacob spent most of the day researching and had only given up when she found him asleep with his head resting on a book. He'd painted a sweet picture, with the lines of worry smoothed from his face. She felt almost guilty for waking him when he looked so peaceful, but she knew a bed would be better for him than a chair.

It was no wonder he couldn't sleep at night. The things she'd read in the Clippings Book haunted her, and she'd seen horrifying things in her life as a soldier. He had to live with all the things that she'd read; he'd seen them and she knew, from knowing her own Jacob Stone, how sensitive he was to both pain and beauty. Jacob hid it better than the Stone of her world could, but she knew it must be killing him.

Eve peeled off the clothes she'd been wearing for two days and slid the clean white t-shirt Jacob had given her over her head. Since Jacob was about three inches shorter than she was, it hung at an indecent level, but she wasn't planning for anyone to see her in it. The cotton was soft and worn, and she could picture it lying next to Jacob's skin. She closed her eyes to savor the image before she realized what she was doing.

Her eyes popped open, and she whispered, “No.”

It was true, she found the Stone in her world attractive, but she hadn't fantasized about him. It had been Flynn while he'd been off chasing the Library, and after she'd realized she didn't love him that way, it had been...

The realization hit her like a tonne of bricks. She gasped and sat down heavily on the bed, her cheeks heating.

“Damn. Damn. Damn.” She repeated the word quietly several times before jumping to her feet. Forgetting she was half dressed, she stormed out of the room and into the next one. Jacob was sitting on the bed in just his jeans with his head buried tiredly in his hands. At her entrance, he looked up, eyes widening.

“What...?”

“Okay, tell me what the hell's going on.”

“I don't know...”

“The Stone, Jacob. The Stone. You said it wasn't just a teleportation device. That it had a reason to bring me here. Well, start talking. How does the damn thing work?”

He gaped at her while she tried to keep her gaze on his face.

“Jacob?”

He swallowed. “Okay.” Dropping his eyes to his hands, he continued, “The Stone reads your subconscious longings for a person, for a thing, for a feeling, for a situation, and—sometimes--for a place. It brings you to it, sometimes, and sometimes, it doesn't bring you anywhere at all.”

“So, it brought me here because it imagined I wanted to be here for some reason and now, even if I find it, it might not bring me home?”

“Yeah.”

“Don't you think that's something you should've told me?”

“I'm sorry, Eve.” He looked so weary. “I just didn't want to crush your hope.”

“It's better to know now than to try the Stone and have it not work.”

“You're right. I'm sorry,” he said again.

She couldn't be angry with him, not when he looked so tired and sad. “Just don't keep anything else from me.”

“I won't. I promise.”

Eve watched as his eyes suddenly locked on her ankles and moved up her legs. She heard him draw a sharp breath, and she abruptly remembered she was standing there in her underwear.

“I'd forgotten how long your legs were,” he said quietly before bringing his eyes up to meet hers. To his credit, they stayed there.

Feeling uncomfortable standing in front of him, she sat beside him on the bed.

“Look, Jacob, if we're going to be fighting the wild magic together, you've got to trust me.”

“Of course, I trust you.” The blue eyes looking into hers were deadly serious. “Don't I trust you in your world?”

Eve thought about this. Stone did have trust issues and, though he didn't seem to trust Ezekiel or Cassandra, he seemed to trust her. “I think you do...or he does...or whatever.”

“Good.”

His gaze was so direct, she had to look away.

“Do you think it might have been Flynn's innocence that drew you here?” he asked, suddenly changing the subject.

Her eyes snapped back to his. “What do you mean?”

“He's your Librarian. You're used to seeing him that way. Maybe you longed to see him as the innocent professor one more time.

“Wouldn't the Stone have brought me to him in that case and not you?”

He shrugged. “I don't know.”

“I don't think that was it,” she told him slowly, determined not to mention what she'd realized in her room. He didn't need to know about the fantasies brought on by the way he looked at her and the way he moved.

“Maybe not.” He smiled at her and patted her bare knee. “Go get some sleep. We should be off early tomorrow. We need to neutralize that creature so we can start our search for Merlin.”

There was nothing sexual about his touch, but it spoke of both comfort and caring. She took it as it was meant. Giving his bare shoulder a squeeze, she used it to hoist herself to her feet.

“Good night, Jacob.”

XXX

The next morning, they were up before seven. Even though her surroundings were comfortable and familiar, Eve had still had a restless night, and she found herself yawning as she set the globe.

“Be careful,” she warned, “the first step is shit.”

“Okay.” His eyes twinkled. “I'll keep that in mind.”

As always, he looked at her with both warmth and tenderness. It was the way he'd looked at her when he'd thought she was his Eve, and he'd continued to look at her that way after he discovered the truth. It was that expression that had followed her home and turned into first fantasies and then dreams. No one had ever looked at her that way before. Was that what she'd been longing for? Was that why the Stone had brought her here? Or was it something more? He'd done more than look at her and smile at her in those fantasies.

She ignored the memories and activated the door. When she opened it, the clearing and cabin were on the other side.

“We're going to have to walk, so it will take us longer to get where we need to be.”

“I don't think we'll find a door closer than this.”

“I don't either.”

“The door will stay anchored here until we disconnect it from the Annex side.”

“All right. Let's get going.”

“You never did tell me what we have to do.”

“What we're after is just a little thing, about the size of a Labrador retriever. The storm is how it hunts. If you can get to it before its defenses strip you to ribbons, it's actually pretty vulnerable.”

“So, we kill it?”

“I haven't thought of another option,” he said regretfully.

“We do what we have to do,” she told him.

“Yes, we do.”

He was subdued as he went through the door, stumbling a little as he reached the other side. Slightly concerned, she followed him, hardly noticing the small jolt as she joined him outside the outhouse.

“My weapons are in the cabin.” 

She remembered seeing them in the bedroom when she slept there. “Do guns still work here?”

“Some of them do. I've got a rifle that's been pretty reliable. We'll bring a sword for back up.”

“How about a Glock?”

“I've got one. I'm not sure if it works.”

“Do you have anything to protect you from the bugs?”

“Not exactly,” he patted his pocket, “but I've got something that might work.”

“Let's hope so, or we'll both be torn to ribbons.”

“Trust me.”

“I do,” she admitted.

“Great.” He clapped her roughly on the shoulder. “Let's get going. Our monster is waiting.”

They went into the cabin and Eve picked through several handguns, finding one that felt comfortable. Jacob armed himself with a large shotgun, which he hung over his shoulder. On his waist, he wore a sword, commenting, “Not Excalibur, but a good sword anyway.”

They were quiet as they made their way back o the cliff. What had been a drive of less than ten minutes took them considerably longer on foot. Eve snuck glances at Jacob's face, knowing that killing—even irredeemable monsters—must be hard for him, and he'd probably been forced to do it several times since Dulaque had released the magic.

As they passed the cliff and approached the cave, he said, “I need to go first.”

Eve didn't like the sound of that at all. “I'm the Guardian.”

“You're not my Guardian.”

For some reason, that simple statement hurt. It was on the tip of her tongue to snap out something that she wouldn't be able to take back, something that would cut him. Was he trying to protect her because she looked like the woman he'd loved and lost? She held in her anger and tightly said, “You're right.”

He immediately looked contrite. “I didn't mean that the way it sounded.”

“I know I'm not her...”

“Hey.” he put his hands on her shoulders and gazed into her eyes. “All I meant is that you haven't promised to die for me. I'm not your responsibility.”

“I'm a Guardian, no matter which world I'm in,” she said simply.

“I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply otherwise.” He released her, but she could still feel his touch. “That's not why I need to go first. I just have to set the trap. Stay behind me, watch for the the little buggers, and when I say run, you run.”

“Okay.”

He went into the clearing carefully. Eve followed close behind, her eyes searching for glass bugs.

She saw them almost immediately. There were several covering the side of the cave entrance and scattered over the top. They were still, but their wings glinted in the sunlight. At any moment, they could take flight, and both she and Jacob would be dead.

Slowly, Jacob put his hand in his pocket and took it out again. In his fingers, he was holding something shaped like a tiny jukebox. Quietly, he placed it on the ground and pressed a button.

He glanced back at Eve, catching her eye. His mouth formed 'ready?', so she nodded and tensed. As slowly as he'd done everything else, he bent and picked up a small rock.

“Run!” The word burst from him loudly as he threw the rock hard against the cave. It erupted with the sound of tinkling chimes.

The two of them ran back to the cover of the trees as the glass bugs fluttered around in a tizzy.

When they were hidden, she asked, “What was that?”

“A heater. During the day, they're sensitive to heat. That's a magic heater, and it's putting off enough heat to fry those things once they touch it. It'll attract them and then kill them. I'm just hoping that any bugs that might be inside the cave will get drawn out, too.”

The bugs started snapping and shattering, the sound loud in the silence. Soon the bugs were all either surrounding the heater or lying broken on the ground around it.

“This is the best chance we're ever going to get,” Jacob said lowly.

“Okay. I go first.”

Though his expression didn't change, his eyes looked slightly amused. “Of course.”

Eve stepped into the clearing warily, half expecting the small frenzied creatures to turn on her. As Jacob had predicted, they were too busy breaking and dying.

She crept forward carefully, aware that Jacob was close behind her. They made it to the cave's entrance without incident. Peering inside, Eve could tell it was little more than a small hole dug in the hillside and, even thought the light didn't reach, she could see a hint of the back.

“Are you sure there's something in there?” she whispered.

When she did, the darkness shifted, and she positioned herself protectively in front of Jacob.

Something sparkled, and she turned slightly to grab Jacob's sword out of his scabbard because it was faster than going for her gun. The sword was in the wrong hand, but she was able to bring it up in time for the bug to shatter against it. Another bug followed the first, before she had time to change hands, and she awkwardly shattered it on the blade as well.

She heard the thing in the back of the cave rise to its feet. There was a click behind her and suddenly the beast was illuminated. To Eve, it looked something like a cross between a bear and a coyote, at least in body. The face was just two eyes and a mouthful of very large teeth.

“That's a lot of teeth,” she commented.

“Yeah.”

The creature squinted in the light and made an enraged sound. Without warning, it sprang at them.

“I thought you said it was vulnerable,” Eve yelled, bringing up the sword.

“I didn't say it wouldn't fight,” he countered as they ducked out of the way. Sharp teeth grazed Eve's right forearm. Blood welled up in four thin lines on her skin, but she managed to keep her grip on the sword.

Outside, she was relieved to see all of the glass bugs were shattered. As if reading her mind, Jacob said, “It can't make more until the next storm. We got this.”

The thing was immediately springing again, leading with its teeth. Eve barely had time to change hands and move out of the way. She made a slash as she went and heard Jacob taking the safety off of his rifle.

Eve wasn't used to handling a sword—she usually left that to Flynn and Stone—but she knew if she bought Jacob some time he should be able to blow the thing away. Unlike Jacob, this didn't cause Eve one iota of guilt.

“Hey, ugly,” she yelled, waving the sword at it to keep its attention. It gnashed its teeth at her and tensed for another spring. Eve was determined to hold her ground this time and impale it if she had to. The thought was just going through her head as Jacob fired. The monster flipped backwards from being hit at close range and was still.

Without looking at Jacob, Eve went over and studied the creature. Using the sword, she made sure it was really dead before wiping her blade on the grass.

She felt a gentle hand on her arm and glanced at Jacob. He wasn't looking at the monster but at the cluster of red lines going across her skin.

“It's just a scratch,” she told him.

Not acknowledging her words, he took the hem of his shirt and pressed it against her wounds. “There's a stream just through those trees. We should wash this and try to get that thing's saliva out of there. I don't think it was poison, but we shouldn't take any chances. When we get back to the cabin, we'll wash your arm with alcohol.”

More blood welled up where he'd wiped, so she meekly let him lead her to the river. It was the least she could do for him after all that he'd lost.


	7. Chapter 7

They were lucky enough to be in one of the more stable parts of the country so, while Jacob researched Merlin, Eve went to find some clothes and cleaning and bathroom supplies. While she was out, she bought a little more food to add to what they'd brought from the cabin.

While the bedrooms and the stacks seemed magically protected from dust, the main floor hadn't been so lucky. When there was not so much as a peep from Jacob after she got home, she started scrubbing to pass the time. It took her hours, and still Jacob hadn't appeared. Worried that he might be getting hungry, she made them both a tuna sandwich and went in search of him.

She found him in a big stuffed chair that had been Stone's favorite in her world. Eve could almost pretend that she was home again and had gone in search of Stone to scold him for baiting Ezekiel or to thank him for having her back. The shaggy hair and haggard exhaustion on his face ruined her fantasy. When he glanced up, it was shattered completely. Stone had never beamed at her that way.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” she answered, putting the plates down on a little table by his elbow.

“What time is it?”

“It's after nine. I thought you might be hungry.”

His stomach answered for him with a loud growl, so he added, “I am. Thanks.”

She folded her legs and sat down beside the table on the floor. “Find anything?”

“Some leads, but nothing for sure.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

He studied her with his sandwich halfway to his mouth. “You want to help with research?”

“Sure? Why? Didn't she?”

“Not often.” He immediately knew who she meant. “She mostly felt she'd be in the way.”

Eve's lips thinned. “Did you tell her that?”

“Of course not! She was smart; you're smart. She just didn't believe it.”

“Well, I've learned that the more people researching the better. Even if I don't know what I'm looking at, I can use key words to know what I'm looking for.”

“The dynamic you had with the Librarians in Training was different from the usual dynamic between Librarian and Guardian, wasn't it?”

Eve shrugged, picking up her own sandwich. “I don't know. I started this as their Guardian. I've only been Flynn's Guardian for two months.”

“You miss him?” He finally took a bit and chewed as he waited for her answer.

“He's my Librarian.”

He nodded, not answering.

“We're not lovers, if that's what you're asking,” she continued, not sure why she was telling him this. “We considered it. It looked as if it were moving in that direction, but it didn't get that far. Not that it's any of your business, anyway.”

“Hey, I didn't...”

“He's just my Librarian,” she finished firmly, feeling her face heat.

“Okay.” He was eyeing her strangely but dropped it, asking, “It's not just him. You miss them all, don't you?”

“Even Ezekiel, and it's his fault I'm here,” she admitted, feeling a pang of homesickness.

“What do you mean?”

She took a bite, chewed, and swallowed before saying, “He's the reason the Stone activated.”

“Did he know what he was doing?”

“Of course not. He never does. He was just tossing it in the air. I went to take it from him and wound up here.”

He put his sandwich aside and leaned forward. “Did Dulaque toss the Stone of Hope in the air?”

“No.” She thought about it. “It didn't look like he did. Maybe you have to touch it a certain way.”

“Or maybe it's the amount of pressure on a certain spot. If we get it back, I'd like to study it.”

“Only if it fails to bring me home.”

“I promise we'll try to get you home first.”

“But before that, we've got to find Merlin and save the world,” she said glibly, trying to lighten the mood.

“And maybe fight a few monsters,” he agreed, smiling the smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes.

He finished his sandwich and started closing the books that were scattered all around his chair.

“What are you doing?” Eve asked.

“I think it's time to call it a night.”

“It has been a long day.” She stood and picked up their plates. “A long, hot bath would be amazing. You know, that's one of the things I missed while on deployment. A quick shower's not the same.”

“Get one while you can. Who knows what tomorrow will hold.”

“What about you?”

“I think I'm going to fall into bed and have one of those quick showers you were talking about in the morning.”

“Chacun à sont goût.”

“Bien sûr.” He winked at her and, once more, Eve felt her stomach flutter.

XXX

“Is there anything we should be doing?” Jake paced, running a hand through his hair.

“What do you suggest?” Flynn asked. “If you've got any ideas, I'd love to hear them.”

“Baird's been gone for four days. Isn't there something magical that'll let us reach into wherever she is and bring her back?”

“Not that I know of.”

“But you don't know everything that's in the Library,” Cassandra interrupted quietly.

“What?”

“It's been around for centuries, hasn't it?”

“Well, yes, but...”

“What she's saying, mate, is that we don't know what's in here.” Jones was sitting on the table, tossing Flynn's globe in the air.

Flynn looked thoughtful. “True.”

“If one of us was missing, Eve wouldn't stop until she found us,” Cassandra added.

“You're right. The Library doesn't need all of us to be working all of the time. With some research, we might be able to find a way to bring her home. It could take years, you know that right? And we might not find anything at all.”

“I'm willing to take that chance,” Jake spoke first, but both Jones and Cassie were nodding.

“All right. Let's each take a different section of the Library and start looking.”

XXX

Eve had been in the alternate world for about a week when Jacob found what he was looking for. He had decided that stopping the effects of wild magic was more important than finding the Library, so most of their time since destroying the monster in the cave had been spent researching. There were a couple of minor magical problems that Jacob didn't dare to let fester, but, for the most part, they spent their time in the stacks.

The more time Eve spent with Jacob, the more she admired him. Besides being intelligent, he was confident and comfortable in his own skin. As she got to know him, his differences from her own Stone became apparent. Despite their shared past, they were obviously two different people, and Eve found this new, capable, graceful, tenacious Jacob highly attractive.

There was such a contrast to the strength of his hands and the kindness of his heart that she found herself watching his face closely, listening to the timbre of his voice when he spoke, and thinking about the way he moved. 

While the affection she felt for Stone was mostly platonic, she found the affection she felt for Jacob turning into something else. 

He still looked at her with tenderness, and it was enough to make her heart beat faster and her skin heat. She both welcomed it and was hurt by it because she didn't know how much of it was for her and how much was for the double she'd never met. 

Eve felt the presence of that other Eve everywhere and, because of her, she tried to keep hints of her growing feelings for him from Jacob.

True to her word, Eve had been reading right along with him, trying to find out where Merlin was hiding. She'd taken to sitting cross legged on the floor beside his chair. That's where she was when she felt his hand settle on her shoulder and squeeze.

“I think I know where he is,” he said quietly.

“Are you sure?”

“Not positive, but I've got a pretty good guess. Between the passage you found yesterday, and this document here, it fits. From what we've read, I'm pretty sure Merlin is still trapped in Niviane's prison.”

“Trapped for over a thousand years?”

“We're going to have to release him.”

“Do you know how we do that?” She shifted to look up at him.

“No clue,” he answered cheerfully.

“That sounds promising.”

“We'll wing it when we get there.”

“Lovely.”

“And there will probably be traps.”

“Traps?”

“Fun, huh?”

“Something like that.”

His eyes were shining with excitement. He must have loved being the Librarian, before Eve died and Dulaque released wild magic. At her words, he grinned and winked.

“Come on, Eve. It's time for us to go on an adventure.” He got up and nudged her shoulder with his leg.

“What would you call what I've been living for the last week?”

“Normal.” He held his hand down to her, and she gripped it, letting him haul her to her feet.

“You and I have different definitions of the word 'normal'.” 

“We'll need rope.” He didn't even appear to be listening. “And a grappling hook. Flashlights. Some food.”

“We're not going to be able to come back to the Annex?”

“Not until we're done, and I'm not sure how long it will take to reach Merlin's hiding place. All I know is that it's underground...and I have an idea of how to find the entrance.”

“So, where are we off to?”

“Wales. Pack a sweater.”

“Just once, I'd like the answer to be Fiji or the Dominican Republic or Bermuda...”

“Don't be a wuss. You lived three years in the Arctic Circle.”

This took her aback. “How did you...Oh.”

It hit home how much more he knew about her than she knew about him.

“Does that bother you?” he asked as if reading her mind. Maybe he could.

“I just, well, I don't talk much about my childhood.”

“I know. I'm sorry I brought it up.”

Eve studied his face and all she saw was concern for her. She realized that she was okay with him knowing all the secrets of her past.

“It's all right.” She touched his wrist briefly. “Why don't we see if we can find everything we need?”

“Knowing the Library, there's probably a grappling hook in one of the closets, just because we need one,” he said easily, going with her change of subject.

“And if Jenkins were here, we could ask him which one.”

“How long ago do you think he left?”

“By the cobwebs in the corridor, I'd guess years.”

“Maybe after this is over, I'll see if I can find out where he went.”

“The place doesn't feel the same without him. Plus, he can help you find all the stuff to bring the Library back.”

“Does he know where they are?”

She shrugged. “He helped us, and he always seemed to know more than he was saying, Cryptic and annoying is his specialty.”

“He sounds great.”

“Actually, I miss him.” Jenkins was cranky and crusty, but he'd never let them down.

The amusement left his face. “Don't worry, Eve. We'll find a way to get you home.”

XXX

As Jake packed one of the two backpacks he'd found in Jenkins's office, his mind kept going to Eve. He thought of her long, long legs and the curve where her neck met her shoulder. He thought about her sarcasm and her strange sense of humour. Most of all, he thought about the shadows in her eyes, shadows his first Eve hadn't had.

In the week she'd been in his world, he'd gotten to know her a little better. There were differences between her and the Eve he'd love so long that went beyond what had been so obvious when they'd first met. Physically, the differences were small, but they were there. She had a scar on her arm that was faded enough to be years old that he'd never seen before, and she was missing a very pronounced one on her right thigh. Obviously, she'd never been attacked by a raging leprechaun. Her face was a little thinner, as if she'd had no one to care for her, which, considering she'd been fighting terrorists, was probably true. Her gaze was less open, and she was quieter. Despite all these things, Jake was drawn to her, and he was enjoying finding out new things about her.

Over the week, despite his better judgment, he'd let his affection grow into something more substantial, and he found himself wishing she wanted to stay there with him. He enjoyed their time in the stacks, silently reading together. She sat beside his chair, and he could feel her warmth against his legs. Sometimes he'd stop reading just to look at her, thankful she couldn't see him. It was something he'd never shared with his first Eve, and he treasured it more because of that. Jake wondered if she enjoyed it as much as he did.

The object of his thoughts came into the room, her pack in her hand.

“I packed a change of clothes and my toothbrush and hairbrush. How long do you think we'll be away?”

“I'm not sure. We'll pack enough food for maybe two days. Hopefully, that will be enough.”

“And you said rope...and a grappling hook?” When he nodded, she asked, “Should I bring my Glock?”

“We don't know if it will work, but you may as well pack it. It doesn't take much room.”

She looked unhappy about this suggestion but nodded. 

“It's no use openly carrying something that might let you down.”

“I know, but I don't have to like it.”

“Fair enough.”

Jake did one more check around the room, trying to think whether he was forgetting something. When nothing came to mind, he zipped the bag.

“Come on, Eve,” he continued. “Let's go see what helpful things Jenkins has stored for us in his office.”


	8. Chapter 8

The good thing about having a magical door was that the trip from Oregan to Wales took about five seconds. Eve stepped from one country to the next, prepared for the stumble that always accompanied that kind of travel. Jacob wasn't used to the door, and his stumble was worse than hers. She steadied him with a hand on his shoulder. 

“Thanks.”

“You're welcome.”

The air was damp and cold and fog wisped around the trees and corners. The door they'd come out of belonged to an abandoned, roofless cottage that was overgrown with weeds and ivy.

“So, where to now, Librarian?” Eve asked, pulling her sweater around herself a little more tightly.

“Now, we head underground.”

She looked around, seeing unkempt fields, wild and scraggly bushes, and small trees as far as the eye could see. “How do we do that exactly?”

“We find the door.”

“Okay.”

He started off in what seemed like a random direction, climbing over the remains of a stone fence.

“Do you know where you're going?” she asked after a few minutes of walking.

“I think so.”

“Care to enlighten me?”

“We're looking for a well.”

“A well?”

“A very old well, after Merlin's time, but still pretty ancient. Probably just a round pile of rocks. They might not even be intact anymore.”

“We go underground through a well?”

“Yeah. As far as I could tell.”

“Your guess is better than most people's know, so I'm betting on yes.”

He stopped and turned to look at her, love and laughter in his eyes. Once more, Eve felt her face flush and warmth spread through her body.

“Don't look at me like that,” she told him without rancor.

“What?”

Her flush turned to one of embarrassment. She hadn't meant to say that aloud. When he looked at her that way, she felt it in her gut. It was so pleasant that, in other circumstances, she would have acted on it. The problem was, Eve couldn't be sure if his tender expression was meant for her or someone else. 

“Never mind,” she said, not meeting his puzzled gaze. “How much further is this well?”

Jacob studied her face, and she could practically see the wheels turning in his head. She wondered what he was thinking. It looked as if he were going to question her further, but he just said, “I don't know.”

Eve was grateful when he turned away to continue his search. She followed him in silence for about ten minutes before he stopped and pointed.

“Eve! I think that might be it.”

She peered in the direction he was pointing. With the mist, it was hard to see, but she could just make out a rough, stone, circular object with a piece of plywood hanging off the edges. She waved to let him know she saw it, and he loped towards it without waiting for her.

By the time she got there, he'd already taken off the rotted board and was digging the rope out of his pack.

“And this is why we needed the rope,” she commented.

“I was hoping the rocks would be strong enough for the grappling hook, but they aren't.”

She peered down over the edge and saw rocks give way to hard packed dirt. The view slowly petered off into darkness. “Probably not.”

“I think if I can find something strong enough to cross the top, it should hold us. Either a thick branch or a small tree...or an old crow bar.”

“All right. Let's start looking.”

XXX

Jake looked for fifteen minutes before he found something he was pretty sure would take Eve's weight.  It was just a simple shovel, old with a rusty head, but the handle had been made to last and was still untouched by rot.

He was going to go first.  As the heaviest, the shovel handle was more likely to break for him, so Eve would help lower him down before tying herself to the shovel and following.

He glanced at her, watching as she evened out the weight of the packs to make them easier to send down to him before she made her own journey.  Even in just simple jeans and a t-shirt, she was beautiful.  Wisps of hair that didn't quite fit into her ponytail framed her face and, occasionally, she'd blow one out of the way as she worked.  She moved with such efficient grace that he couldn't stop watching her.

Eve looked up suddenly, meeting his eyes. She quickly glanced away, and he hoped she hadn't seen how much he enjoyed the way she moved. 

When she stood up, there were two flashlights in her hands.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Yeah.  Just don't drop me."

"You think I'm going to drop you?" She sounded amused.

"It might have happened before."

"Maybe I'm stronger than she was.  You'll have to take a chance."

He liked that she freely talked of his other Eve.  It made it okay for him to talk about her, too, and, when he did, it eased some of the pain he'd felt since he lost her. Letting go of some of the pain had helped him let go of her, and now he was moving forward. Of course, the place he was moving forward to appeared to be one where he secretly longed to have another Eve Baird in his life. It was a dangerous place to be, since this Eve was determined to leave him at some point.

“Well, let's get to it,” he said, turning from her and going to the well. He did it as much to hide his expression as to hurry along the mission.

His trip down went easier than he expected. Centuries of settling earth had left handholds and footholds for him to use. Eve was a strong, steadying presence at the top, holding him with a sure strength that kept him calm as he descended.

Jake had been descending for a long time when suddenly his feet meet open air. He dangled by his hands, yelling up, “I think I found it. You're going to have to help me.”

“I've got you.” Her voice was as firm and steady as her arms.

He inched down until he could swing himself into the empty darkness. His flashlight was down his shirt and off, so he hoped he wasn't throwing himself into danger. It was just a brief thought before there was earth beneath his feet. Quickly, he retrieved his flashlight and shone it around him. He was standing in a short and narrow tunnel that led off somewhere his flashlight couldn't reach.

“Jacob?” Eve called.

“I'm here. Send down the packs.”

They, and Eve, soon joined him in the tunnel without incident. It wasn't quite wide enough for them to stand in side by side, and the top of her head brushed the ceiling.

“It's a good thing I'm not claustrophobic,” she said.

She was shadowy in the dim light from their flashlights, but he didn't have to see her face well to know there was a small smirk on it. 

“People were shorter back then. We're lucky it's not smaller,” he told her turning towards the unknown.

“I have a strange feeling about this place. Let me lead.”

“To do that, you'll have to pass me somehow.”

“There's room if I take off my backpack.”

“All right. Pass it to me.”

Eve slipped it down her back and gave it to him. Jake threw it on the ground a few feet away and then turned sideways so he could press against the wall. 

He tried not to breathe as Eve also turned sideways to slide by, her body brushing intimately against his for a few long seconds. His body hummed with awareness at the contact, and he swallowed and closed his eyes. Despite his best efforts, her scent surrounded him, so familiar that it made his chest ache, with just a hint of something else, subtle and new, that he'd noticed in the hours she'd spent reading by his side.

Finally, she was past and picking up her pack. Jake was grateful she didn't look back at him as she went further into the tunnel.

It went on so long that Jake started to get a little nervous. Though it was centuries old, there were no signs of deterioration or cave ins but, if there were a problem, there was no way for him and Eve to move effectively enough to face it.

“Finally,” he heard Eve mumble.

“What?”

“Look.” 

She shone her flashlight ahead and he saw the tunnel come to an abrupt end. It widened until it was wide enough for about four people, and Jake moved up to walk beside Eve.

Reaching the end of the corridor, they came to a huge stone slab. It wasn't readily apparent what it was connected to; it seemed to just have grown from the earth. On it, there was an intricate carving of men on horses and women sewing by a lake. There were animals peeking out of a forest, a piece of eye there or a flash of tail there, and gardens full of roses. Below the picture, there were words written in Latin, scrolled and made to look as intricate as the picture.

“What is it?” Eve asked.

“I think it's a door.”

“A door to where?”

“Now, that's a good question.”

“What does it say?”

“Welcome all who wish to pass, I'm sure you'll find the way. But first you must sit down awhile and enjoy this summer day.”

“It rhymes.”

He grimaced. “Not in Latin, it doesn't.”

“So, what are we supposed to do?”

“Apparently, we need to sit.”

“You're not serious?”

He shrugged. “I”m not sure if it's figurative or literal, so I'm sitting.”

“All right. You're the Librarian. If you say sit, we sit.”

Eve was on the ground even before he was, folding those long, lovely legs. He settled down beside her, shining his light up at the carving.

“That's different,” Eve murmured.

“What do you see?”

“Look at the forest from this angle.”

“I don't see anything.”

She frowned. “Maybe you're not in the right place. Come closer.” She didn't move as he leaned to the left, but she did say, “Don't fall on me.”

He was propped against her side before he saw it, something in the carving that was only visible from where Eve was sitting.

“I'll be damned.”

“That's our clue, isn't it?”

Jake studied the small image of a fairy passing through an open door. It could be nothing, but instinct told him it was what they were looking for.

“Can you reach it?” he asked.

“I think so.” Eve lifted her left arm and ran her fingers over the fairy.

“Anything?”

“Not with the fairy, but the door...”

“What is it?” He shifted against her in excitement.

“It's more pronounced than the rest of the carving, almost as if...”

There was a soft sound, almost too faint to hear, and, suddenly, the world was falling out from under him. He clutched at Eve in surprise, hearing her let out a brief squeak as they tumbled into darkness.


	9. Chapter 9

Eve hit the ground with a thud, her body tangled with Jacob's. The fall hadn't been far, but it had been enough to rattle her teeth and probably give her some impressive bruises.

“You okay?” Jacob asked, his face against her shoulder.

“No broken bones. You?”

“I don't know yet.”

He started moving, putting pressure on her torso that forced the air out of her lungs. She couldn't even draw breath to tell him to be careful, but the weight was gone almost immediately.

“You squashed me,” she protested after taking a deep breath.

“Sorry.” He patted her, his fingers accidentally brushing her breast in the dark.

One of their lights had gone out when they fell, and the other had landed several feet away. It illuminated a simple earthen wall.

Eve pushed herself to a sitting position, ignoring the protests of her battered body. She could feel Jacob beside her, even though they weren't touching.

“I'd better get the light,” he said.

She heard him shuffling across the floor and saw the light weave when he picked it up. It went around the room, showing her they were in a small cavern. It was taller than the one they'd been in, but not by much, and there was only one way out.

“So, I guess we go that way.”

“It looks like it.”

Eve picked up the other flashlight, which she could now see lying nearby. She turned it on and got to her feet. Pointing her light at the ceiling, she couldn't even see a crack to show there was a door.

“I don't think we'll be able to go back that way.”

“We'll worry about that later. One thing at a time.”

“Agreed. Ready?”

“Yeah.”

This corridor was wider than the other one and allowed the two of them to walk side by side. Eve remembered Jacob's warning about traps and moved forward slowly, with a wary eye on the way ahead.

Jacob was tense beside her, and she could tell that he was alert and ready for anything. It was obvious that he knew what he was doing, that he was a man who'd faced danger, fought evil, and won.

They'd walked almost fifteen minutes when earth gave way to stone.  Much as it had above, the two materials blended seamlessly.  Soon after, the corridor opened into a huge chamber.  It was so big that her light didn't reach the other side.

In the middle of the chamber, a large round object shimmered and rippled, almost like water.  It was vertical and taller than both Eve and Jacob together.  It was as wide as it was tall, and it gave off its own faint light.

"What the hell is that?" she asked, taking a step towards it.

"Eve!" Jacob called out, and she felt herself being grabbed from behind.  

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his body, holding her tightly.  Eve glanced down and saw a deep nothingness in front of her.  Her head spun as she tried to comprehend the sense of depth and darkness that came from it.  Her breath caught, and she clutched Jacob's arms.

"That was close," she gasped, leaning back against him, getting as far away from the hole as she could.

He let out a deep breath that stirred her hair and tickled her skin.

"You just scared ten years off of my life," he said quietly, his arms tightening.

"Sorry," she told him, her voice slightly unsteady, and she wasn't sure if it was the thought of tumbling into the inky darkness or having him pressed against her.

They stayed there much longer than they should have, perched on the dangerous precipice, with Jacob holding onto her.  Eve let him draw comfort from the embrace and listened to her wildly beating heart as it reacted to both the aftermath of fright and the nearness of Jacob.

Eventually, she said, "We're going to have to get to that shiny circle, aren't we?"

His arms loosened but he didn't release her.  "Probably."

"How?"

He sighed and pulled her away from the drop before finally letting her go.  "There's got to be a way.  There's always a way."

"It's a portal?"

"Or a trap."

"Great."

He grinned at her.  "The not knowing is the best part."

Eve was suddenly reminded of Flynn and wondered if this enthusiasm for puzzles and danger was something all Librarians possessed deep inside themselves.  Maybe it was the other way around.  Maybe the job created this, changed each Librarian slightly to help him or her mentally cope with the weird they saw every day.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"I'm thinking that you're enjoying this way too much."

"I just love my job."

"Two seconds ago, we almost fell down a chasm."

She immediately felt sorry for reminding him when she saw the humour and fun fall from his face.  He avoided her eyes and said, "There's got to be a logical way to get there.  We've just got to figure it out.  A trigger to create walkways, something we're not seeing.  Maybe it's a puzzle.”

He paced the width of the floor before the drop, looking for clues. As he did, Eve went back to the edge and peered down. She pointed her light into the darkness, seeing what she expected, which was nothing.

“Nothing,” Jacob echoed her thoughts. “No ancient lock or puzzle, just smooth walls.”

“Did you feel them for triggers?”

“I want to try one thing first.”

“What's that?”

Jake knelt beside her and picked up a handful of small rocks. He tossed one of them into the hole. Eve felt her skin crawl a bit when it didn't hit bottom.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Just wait.” He took another stone and tossed it a bit to the left. When he had the same result, he tossed one to the right. “Maybe I was wrong.”

“What's supposed to happen?” She picked up a stone and threw it randomly. Instead of falling immediately into the chasm, it bounced and then lay there suspended in the air. Eve stared at it in fascination. “Was it supposed to do that?”

“There it is!” 

“Why is my rock floating?”

“The path is invisible.” He sounded way too happy about that.

“Did you say invisible?”

“Yeah. We've just got to find out where it starts and pass over it without falling off.”

“Oh, that sounds simple,” she told him sarcastically.

“At least we don't have to jump.”

“How do we even know the path leads all the way to that thing?”

“We don't.” He was still smiling.

Eve shook her head. “I think it was safer fighting the terrorists.”

“But not nearly as much fun.” Jacob picked up another handful of rocks. “Let's see where this thing starts.”

Eve moved out of the way and watched him walk along the edge, dropping a rock every inch or so. Surprisingly, he was nowhere near where Eve's rock lay suspended in air when he found the bridge's origin.

“Either there are two paths, or this one has at least one turn to try to knock people off the edge,” he continued.

“Great, and how do we cross without falling again?”

“Very carefully.”

She grimaced at him. 'This day keeps getting better and better.”

“I know, right?” He bent down to feel the path with his hands. “It's about three feet wide. Doable but dangerous. I think, if we crawl, we should be all right.”

He took his pack off and dug inside, coming out with a head light and holding it out to her.

“This should keep our hands free.”

Eve shut off her flashlight and traded him for the one that would sit on her head. It felt a little strange but it fit well, and the light was brighter. 

She waited for Jacob to stow their flashlights then got down on her hands and knees to start out on the path. Nervously, she felt ahead for the edges before she moved forward. Her conflicting senses—her eyes telling her she was on air and would soon fall and her hands telling her she was on a stone shelf—made her almost dizzy.

As if he could read her mind, Jacob said, “It might be better if you close your eyes.”

“I'm fine. Just go where I go. If you fall off this ledge and leave me here alone, I'll kill you.”

Eve inched forward, ignoring the feeling in her stomach caused by the nothingness beneath her. She was grateful the pit was so dark; being able to see how far down the abyss went would have been much worse. 

The first turn took her by surprise. Even though she was going carefully, she felt an instant of panic when her hand came down on nothing. Eve wavered there, almost tumbling into the dark. She felt Jacob's hand grip her ankle, steadying her. She waited a moment, letting her racing heart slow.

“You all right?” Jacob asked.

“Yeah. I didn't expect such a sharp turn.” She felt around. “It just suddenly goes to the left.”

Awkwardly, she turned her body on the small path and slowly continued forward. The path did another sharp turn soon after, but this time she was prepared.

It took them a long time and several more sharp turns before they found themselves approaching the huge portal.

Eve got to her feet, easily balancing about a foot away. She studied the circle, alert for signs of anything threatening. “I'm not feeling any danger...or any more than you'd expect, and I don't see anything. You?”

“It's not setting off my radar. Let's try it.” She heard him get to his feet behind her.

“Don't do anything until you're sure I'm through.”

“Okay.” He gave her hand a brief squeeze. When he released her, she went forward quickly, alert for any signs that something would fall on her, impale her, or set her on fire. When nothing happened, she drew in a deep breath and took a leap of faith.

XXX

Cassandra stared down at the huge book in disbelief. Quickly, she scanned the passage again, her heart fluttering.

"This is it," she whispered. "I think this will work."

Hugging the book to her chest, she leaped to her feet. The Library was quiet around her, and she had no idea whether anyone else was there. 

"Flynn!" she cried. "Flynn!"

There was no answer, so she raced through the stacks looking for somebody--anybody--to tell what she'd found.

"Is anybody here?...Umph."

The last was said when she suddenly bounced off of a solid body. She blinked in surprise and looked up to see Stone.

"Cassandra, what's going on?" he asked, curling his hands around her biceps. "Is something the matter?"

"No." She grinned at him and danced in place. "Just the opposite. Something is very, very not the matter."

"What?"

"This book. This book! I found it."

"Found what? Cassie, calm down."

She forced herself to quit fidgeting and shoved the book at him. He took it from her gingerly, questions in his eyes.

"See?" she asked. Unwilling to wait quietly, she tapped the page he was looking at.

"Move your finger."

She put her hands behind her back and stood up on her tiptoes in excitement. After a moment of reading, Stone looked back up at her in amazement. "Do you know what this is"

She nodded enthusiastically.

"This could work."

"Yup."

"It might take some time, but it could really work. How'd you find it?"

"Luck."

"We'd better find Flynn."

"Is he here?"

"I don't know. Let's go find out."

XXX

Eve stumbled as she emerged into bright sunshine. She'd been prepared for the transition, but it was still rough, and the light stabbed into her eyes. She struggled to stay upright, immediately closing her eyes to block the sun. Something heavy hit her from behind. It was strong enough to push her over, and she grunted as the air was pushed from her body for the second time that day.

“Sorry,” Jacob said, his lips next to her ear.

He rolled off of her, and Eve lay face down for a few seconds, letting the air come back into her lungs.

"Did I hurt you?"

"You've got to lose some weight," she huffed, lifting herself up and getting to her feet.  She blinked rapidly.  "How did we get outside?"

He was still lying on the ground.  "No idea."

Now that Eve's eyes were adjusting to the light, she looked around.  They were in a slightly overgrown field, full of wild flowers.  In the distance, Eve could see a large farmhouse with several outbuildings, including a big barn.  All of the structures were colorless, their shingles dull and gray.  She couldn't tell anything else from that distance.

Reaching down, she grabbed Jacob's hand and pulled him to his feet.  "What are the chances that that's where we're supposed to be?"

"It's so modern," he said.  "Late 19th/early 20th century. It doesn't make sense.  Unless it looks the way the person seeing it expects it to look."

Eve snapped her fingers.  "Like the House of Refuge."  At his puzzled look, she waved a hand.  "Doesn't matter."

"The light's not right, either."

"What do you mean?"

"Look at it.  It's early morning light.  It must be at least noon, and it's probably later.  It took us maybe an hour to cross the invisible bridge.  What time does your watch say?"

Eve glanced at it and stared.  The hands weren't moving.  "It's stopped."

"Stopped?"

"Yeah.  At about 1:30."

She could tell he was turning something over in his mind.  She watched as his eyes got distant and a crease appeared between his brows.

"What is it?" she asked when he didn't say anything.

"I was just wondering if we broke it on the way or if it stopped when we came through the portal."    
He gestured to where the portal had been, but there was nothing there.  

No longer needing her headlamp, Eve took the time to slide it off and put it away. As he waited, Jacob looked around. When she was done, they headed towards the farmhouse in silence.

Eve trudged through the long grass behind Jacob.  The day was cool, but it was warmer than it had been before they'd entered the well. Lugging her pack and the endless walk soon had sweat dripping down her face.  She stopped and slung her bag to the ground.

Jacob immediately turned.  "You okay?"

"Just hot."

She peeled off her sweater.  The cool air immediately tickled her arms and the skin on her belly where her shirt rode up as it tried to come off with the sweater.

"It is a different climate here," he agreed.  "I think we might be in a pocket universe."

"Like the Library?"

"Exactly."

"It wouldn't be the weirdest thing I've encountered lately."

She unzipped her pack to put the sweater in and spied her small lunch bag.  Each of them carried enough food for two days if they went easy.

"Hey, you hungry?"

"Some."

"After we get wherever we're going, we might not have time to eat."

"That's a good point.  It is relatively safe out here."  He came back over to her, pulling his own sweater up over his head.  She had a flash of toned skin before he straightened his t-shirt and started digging through his own pack.

Eve couldn't help but think it was almost peaceful as they settled down on the grass with a couple of sandwiches, apples, and bottles of water.  The water was slightly warm and the sandwiches were a little crushed, but they tasted delicious to Eve who suddenly realized she was ravenous.

Jacob ate staring ahead at the distant farmhouse, which seemed almost further away now than it had when they'd started walking. She studied his profile, admiring it against her will. He looked both strong and fierce and sad and lost all at the same time.

Since he wasn't looking at her, she felt brave enough to ask, “What was she like? Tell me about the two of you.”

He glanced at her, surprised, and she almost retracted her question. The words were on her tongue as his gaze went back to the house and he started to speak.

“I'd only been the Librarian for a couple of months when she got her envelope. It was love pretty much at first sight for me.” He smiled slightly. “It was a little longer for her. I've never been the kind of person to just go for it, you know, so I just watched her. And she was amazing. I think I drove her nuts at first. I didn't talk much, and she was easily frustrated.”

He took a bite and chewed, lost in thought.

“What changed?” she asked.

“What? Oh. I almost died. Dulaque's minions, though I didn't know it at the time. She saved me as she always did, and then she grabbed me. Grabbed me and just held on as if she'd never let go.”

“And you knew.”

“Not then.” He shook his head in amusement. “I was still clueless until later when she berated me for recklessly endangering myself before she kissed me.” The amusement dropped suddenly from his face. “I loved her, Eve. After that day, besides the Library, she was my whole world.”

“I knew,” she admitted, drawing up her knees and sitting there like a little girl. “When I came here the first time. I saw it in your eyes. I'm sorry I wasn't her.”

He turned towards her, but she stared at her knees so she wouldn't have to look him in the eyes. She hadn't realized until that minute that she felt guilty for not being the woman he loved. She couldn't imagine how much it hurt him to spend so much time with just a copy.

“Eve.”

“We should probably get going.” She got to her feet, still avoiding his gaze.

“Eve.”

“How much longer do you think it will take to get to the farmhouse?”

His touch stopped her. She stared at his hand on her arm, felt the warmth of his skin.

“For what it's worth,” he said quietly, “I was glad to see you when you appeared on that cliff. I didn't think you'd survive repairing the Loom of Fate. It was you I was relieved to see, not just someone who wore my Eve's face.”

An instant later, his touch was gone and he was shouldering his pack once more. Without looking at her again, he started off towards the farmhouse.


	10. Chapter 10

The walk to the farmhouse took way longer than it should have, reinforcing Eve's impression that things here weren't working as they should. When they were finally approaching the front porch, she heard Jacob mumble something under his breath.

“What?”

“It's my house...Well, not mine. It's the house I grew up in. It's more worn and weathered, but ...”

“Something's playing with your head.” Eve instinctively reached for a gun she didn't have.

He briefly put his hand on her back. “I don't think a gun would help.”

“Should we enter the house or check out the outbuildings?”

He looked around. “I think they're just for show. What we want's inside.”

They cautiously walked up to the front steps. Eve was tense and ready, waiting for something to leap out at them. Everything was quiet. It was too quiet. She hadn't spent much time in the country, but she was sure birds should be singing. Chimes on the porch lay limp and still.

“Something's watching us,” she said quietly.

“Probably.” Jacob seemed unconcerned as he crossed from the steps to the nearest window and peered inside.

“Anything?”

He shook his head. “The house is empty. No furniture. Nothing...The wallpaper's the same. My grandmother bought it. She liked roses.”

Eve frowned and tried the doorknob. It turned easily in her hand.

“What are you doing?”

“We're going in, aren't we?”

“What, no checking the parameter? No arming ourselves to the teeth? No sending in a decoy?”

“You're not funny.” She hit him lightly in the bicep. “Now, are we going in or not?”

“Of course we are.”

“I knew you'd say that.”

She slowly pulled the door open. It didn't even squeak despite the rust encrusted hinges. Inside was a simple entryway. There were two doors leading out of it, a hallway, and a set of scarred stairs. Faded wallpaper, peeled in places, covered the walls, and there was a layer of dust on everything.

“This is a replica of your parents' house, which way do we go?”

“My father doesn't have a room hiding Merlin's prison, so I have no idea.”

“All right. Random direction it is.”

She started down the hall. A worn rug covered a painted wooden floor. It muffled her footfalls.

“What is this room?” she asked, pointing to an oddly small wooden door.

“That leads to the cellar.”

Eve curiously opened the door to a staircase with a rock wall leading down into darkness. “What do you think?”

“The stairs don't look right.”

“The wrong stairs. Creepy stone basement. Well, it sounds like a good hiding place to me.”

She ducked and entered the stairwell, flicking the switch just inside the door. Nothing happened.

“Here,” Jacob said and shoved something into her other hand.

She looked down to see a flashlight. Clicking it on, she was disappointed to see it barely cut through the murk. 

“I don't think this darkness is natural.”

“An even better reason to give this way a try.”

She started descending hesitantly, peering into the darkness below. The continued silence was eerie, but she refused to be creeped out. If she could deal with the House of Refuge under Katie Bender's influence, she could deal with this.

Jacob's hand on her shoulder stopped her. “Wait.”

“What is it?”

“I just want to turn on my light.” A second beam of light joined hers, but it too was swallowed up by the darkness.

It wasn't long before Eve realized the stairs were even more unusual than she'd thought. Instead of the handful there should have been going down to a cellar, they went on and on. After several minutes of descending, she started counting. When she got to fifty, she stopped.

“Jacob?”

“I know.”

“Should we go back?” She turned and shone her light behind her. The way up was just as black as the way down.

“I don't know if we can.”

She reached out with her right hand and traced the rock wall with her fingertips. It's realness was reassuring. “So, we go down.”

His hand closed over hers on the wall, his calloused palm rough against her skin. Startled, she met his gaze. In the shadowed light, she couldn't make out his expression. Her chest felt tight as her stomach reacted not just to his touch but the way he touched her. She swallowed, dropping her eyes to their joined hands.

“I think we're about to meet the monsters.” His voice was soft, with an intensity that did nothing to lighten the sudden flutter in her middle. 

She realized how close they were standing, with him on the stair behind her and her facing the way they'd come. With just one step and his arm between them, their height almost even, she could feel his breath on her face. It stirred her hair and smelled faintly of apples.

Common sense told her that she should take her hand away, that she was not the woman he wanted and that this was neither the time nor the place to react to his misplaced tenderness. The rest of her wanted the touch to go on, wanted it to deepen. She wondered if his lips would taste like apples, too.

Eve opened her mouth to speak, trying to focus on his words and not the sudden intimate quality of his touch. She didn't get the opportunity to say anything, however, because Jacob's posture changed, and he loosed her hand.

He lightly put a finger on her lips for a fraction of a second. “Shh. Do you hear that?”

Leaving her conflicted feelings for Jacob to think about at a safe time, she turned her senses outward. At first, she didn't hear anything. Trusting him, she remained completely still, straining for sound in the silence.

There!

“Is that...” she whispered against his fingers.

“Water? Do you hear lapping?”

A chill went through her, and she shivered.

“Eve, I've changed my mind. Go back up. Go quickly.”

He turned, grabbing her wrist and moving back up the stairs. She followed behind him, pausing once to shine the light behind her. Just a couple of steps below, where they'd just been, water had covered the stair, and it was rising. Quickly.

“Jacob!”

“Come on. Let's go,” he insisted, tugging on her wrist to make her go faster.

She didn't need any encouragement. She freed her wrist and started pushing him up ahead of her, the water following swiftly behind. She stopped only when she heard a horrible cracking noise. It seemed to come from all directions at once. It reminded her of ice breaking or tall trees snapping. It echoed around them.

“What the hell was that?” Eve used her light to look around but could see no source of the noise.

“I don't know but, whatever it is, it's trouble.” He reached his hand out to the rock wall and jerked back.

“What's wrong?”

“The wall. It's moving.”

“What do you mean moving?”

“Moving as in moving.”

The sound of stone scraping against stone punctuated his words. Eve pointed her light at the wall and could see it moving slowly but steadily towards her.

“Perfect.”

“I think we're going to have to jump.”

Eve peered down at the black water with a frown. “Sometimes working for the Library is disgusting.”

“I can't argue with you.”

“We could drown or get eaten in there. Maybe we'll catch some horrible disease.”

“Do you want me to go first?”

In answer, she sighed and stepped off the side of the stairs. She hit the water with a splash, feeling it go over her head. Her pack weighed her down, and she fought to break the surface. 

There was a splash near her, but she only half noticed it. Most of her was focused on not drowning. Her struggles with her pack pushed her further and further underwater.

Finally, her lungs felt as if they were bursting, and she had to give up and slip out of the straps. At first, they refused to cooperate, and she had a moment of real fear.

She heard Jacob's voice, but she couldn't tell what he was saying. Thinking of him going on with no one to protect him made her fight more fiercely with the clingy strap. It gave one final bit of resistance, and then it fell away, down into the water.

Eve reached for the surface, hoping she was going in the right direction. Breaking the surface was almost a shock, and she took in huge gulps of air.

“Eve!” Jacob yelled, her name echoing around them.

“I'm here. Are you all right?”

It was pitch black. As Eve tread water, she waited to see if her eyes would adjust. They didn't. It remained darker than a starless night.

“I'm okay. You?”

“Fine, but I can't see.”

“The water knocked out my flashlight.”

“I dropped mine. I had to let go of the pack. I'm sorry.”

“Yeah, me, too. But at least we're alive.”

“For now.” She was acutely aware of how vulnerable they were.

“Swim towards the wall,” he said. “At least that way we'll have a fixed point, and it's better than treading water until we drown.”

Eve was pretty sure she knew what direction she'd jumped from, so she started out without answering. Unnecessary talking would just tire them out more quickly. She could hear Jacob splashing nearby and, even though their situation was dire, she felt lighter.

She was just starting to think she'd gone in the wrong direction when her fingers grazed rocks.

“Jacob?” She could hear him still splashing to her left.

“I must have gotten turned around.”

“It's this way. You're almost there.”

“Keep talking.”

Eve used the uneven rocks to pull herself a little further out of the water. She remembered how dark the water was, and she didn't want to chance swallowing any more than she already had.

“It's an awful, deep, dark predicament you've gotten us into this time, Librarian. Just think, I could be at home doing, well, actually, pretty much this kind of thing. My Librarians haven't gotten me lost in unfathomable amounts of water in the pitch dark before, but that's not saying they never will. Librarians are always so intent on getting themselves killed. It's no wonder Jenkins says they rarely last past five years. I guess you must be good...”

She stopped when she felt something brush her side. It was the only warning she had before Jacob's body collided with hers. Startled, she let go of the wall, and her elbow connected with something solid.

“Ow,” he said, water garbling his words.

“I'm sorry. Are you okay?”

One of his arms went around her, and he drew her back to the wall. “Besides the fact that I now have a headache, I'm fine.”

“I'm really sorry,” she said again, adding a teasing, “Your skull is so thick, I'm surprised you felt it.”

“Hey!” He let out a small laugh, and suddenly she was trapped between his body and the wall.

It was so unexpected that her breath caught, and her hands went to his shoulders in surprise. 

“Are you trying to say I'm stubborn?” His lips moved against her ear and, even with the chill of the water, his cheek was warm against hers.

She had to answer the playfulness in his voice with a laugh of her own. “Jacob Stone, you are the most stubborn man I've ever met—in both universes.”

“I can't believe _you're_ calling _me_ stubborn.” There was no mistaking his amusement, even in the dark.

“If the shoe fits, Librarian.” He fell silent for a few seconds, and she felt him suddenly tense. “What is it?”

“It's my turn to apologize,” he said. “I shouldn't have...”

He released her so abruptly that she wasn't prepared for the absence of his body. She slipped down under the surface and came up sputtering, grabbing for the wall.

“Eve?”

“I swallowed some water.” She didn't add that it was his fault. “Is it still rising?”

“It's hard to tell.”

“Then our best bet is to follow the wall.”

“Unless you have a better idea.”

Unfortunately, she didn't.

XXX

In the dark, there was no way note the passage of time, so Jake had no idea how long they swam beside the wall. All he knew was that his body was sore and tired, and he had to stop more and more often to hold onto the wall and rest.

They moved in near silence, conserving their energy. The only sounds were the lapping of the water, their heavy breaths, and the splashes as their arms broke the surface. Jake was beginning to think he'd spend the rest of his life slowly moving aching and exhausted limbs through the water.

The quiet gave him lots of time to think. He reflected on his growing certainty that Eve's leaving would tear him up and that the changing feelings he had for her might be love.

He'd almost kissed her. Twice.

When they were going down the stairs, something about the way she stood, her tentative touch on the rock wall to anchor herself, had touched him. It was a little bit of vulnerability in someone who was steadily and unflinchingly brave. Those moments with this Eve were so rare that they were infinitely precious.

Then there'd been his reaction to the teasing and affection in her voice. Feeling playful, he'd answered in kind, forgetting she had no idea how his feelings for her had evolved. She hadn't shoved him away; instead, she'd willingly played with him. Even so, that didn't mean she'd welcome his kiss. Maybe she never would.

This sad thought was interrupted when the hand he had against the wall came down on nothing but air. He stopped swimming, and she bumped him from behind.

“What is it?”

“A ledge of some kind. Maybe even a room or a corridor.”

“Really?” She sounded exhausted.

“Yeah. Right here.” He moved forward a little so she could feel the absence of stone.

“We can finally get out of this liquid prison.”

“Thank God.”

She grunted in agreement, and he felt her pull herself out of the water. “I wish I had a light.”

“Me, too.”

“Come up. It's definitely big enough for the both of us—though there could be a giant snake in here, and I'd never know it.”

The thought made Jake's skin crawl, but he pulled himself up out of the water and into whatever lay in front of them.

The floor didn't feel like stone. Instead, his hands touched hard packed dirt. It was cool but dry, though he imagined it turned to mud where it touched them. He could hear Eve moving around, and he wondered where she found the energy. Now that he'd stopped moving, he didn't want to ever start again.

“It's not just a room,” she said, her voice coming from a level close to his, showing she hadn't stood up. “I think it goes somewhere. Hopefully, somewhere with light.”

“Anywhere's got to be better than here. Let's wait a few minutes and see if the water's still rising.”

“And if it's not?”

“We rest.”

“Good. Resting is good.”

Jake didn't move except for to dangle his hand in the water to see if it was coming into the tunnel. His damp clothes clung to him, and the scruff on his face itched. The earth beneath him wasn't cold, but it wasn't warm either, and he shivered in the absence of heat.

Eve remained so silent, he wondered if she'd fallen asleep.

When it was obvious that the water was no longer rising, Jake sighed and crawled far enough away from the edge that he didn't have to worry about rolling off. He flopped down and closed his eyes.

“Jacob?”

“The water's stopped rising. Let's get our breath back.”

There was shuffling nearby and something hit him solidly in the stomach, making him grunt softly. He grabbed the offending object and found it to be an ice like bare foot.

“Where are your shoes?”

“I lost them when I lost everything else,” she sounded near sleep.

“Your foot is frozen.” He started rubbing it absently, trying to get warmth back into it.

“How is that different from the rest of me?”

“It's not exactly warm in here, is it?” he asked, still rubbing her foot and fighting the temptation to tickle it.

“I don't think I'll ever be warm again.”

“Maybe we'll be lucky, and this will lead to sunshine.”

She sighed. “I wonder how long we've been down here.”

“I don't know.” He released her. “It feels like days.”

“You really know how to show a girl a good time.”

He grinned. “The flowers and chocolates come later.”

“They'd better be good ones.”

Her foot was back, bringing its pair. They settled across Jake's middle, so he shifted a little to keep them from poking into his stomach. Absently, he rested his wrist on her ankles.

“We shouldn't fall asleep,” she said, though she sounded mostly there already.

He didn't point out that there would be nothing they could do if something came, not without their sight. He knew she was aware of this but didn't want to give up the last shreds of her control of the situation. Without saying anything, he patted her leg and closed his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the worst chapter to write and the worst chapter to edit. I hope, in the end, it came together and flows well with the rest of the story. (And that it doesn't suck. LOL)


	11. Chapter 11

Eve opened her eyes, completely disoriented. She panicked a little when she couldn't see and kicked out at something around her legs. Someone yelled and rolled away.

She was scrambling to her feet when she remembered where she was and what was going on. As a soldier, she had trained herself to always be aware of her surroundings, and it was rare for her to wake up and not know where she was. Heat washed over her face as she realized she'd given Jacob a hard kick, and she hoped she hadn't hurt him.

“Jacob?”

“What was that for?”

“Sorry. I woke up and thought something was trying to grab me. Did I hurt you?”

“My ribs may never be the same, but I'll live.”

“I wonder how long we were asleep.”

Everything was still as black as pitch. She finished getting to her feet, noticing her clothes were still damp and clung to her skin as she moved.

“I don't know.” He sounded groggy.

“Maybe we should get out of here.”

She heard him get to his feet an instant before something hit her shoulder.

“Getting back at me?”

“Wondering where you were.” The hand came back, but this time it settled and rested. “I don't want to lose you in the dark.”

She accepted this without comment and shuffled sideways until her hand came in contact with the wall. Remembering her almost tumble into the pit, she moved cautiously, testing each step lightly with the front of her foot before putting her weight on it.

After a few minutes, just to break the silence and make the dark less oppressive, she said, “If we get out of this, I'm making a donation to The Braille Institute...and maybe Canine Companions for Independence.”

“They do great work,” he agreed, adding, “Have you ever been in periods of prolonged absolute darkness before?”

“No, and I can't say that I'm enjoying it.”

He squeezed her shoulder, the simple gesture making her smile. “I just wanted to warn you that the light will be extra bright and could damage your eyes. It will take a few minutes for them to adjust, so keep them closed until you feel comfortable. If you don't, you'll be sorry.”

“I'll keep that in mind.”

They moved forward tentatively, Eve straining for any hint of light. Jacob was damp but hot beside her as his body repeatedly brushed hers. It was distracting, but in a pleasant way, and it gave her something to think about besides darkness. 

Eve wasn't sure how long they'd been walking when her foot bumped into something. Because she was going slowly, it didn't hurt, but it did surprise her.

“Hold on.”

“What's up?”

“I'm not sure yet.”

She ran her toes up what felt like smooth wood. Almost a foot upwards, the object disappeared. Eve investigated further and found it gave way to a flat surface.

“Stairs. I think it's stairs.,” she announced in excitement.

“Going up?”

“Yes.”

“We may get out of this after all.”

Carefully, she took the first step. He joined her, and they discovered the staircase was just big enough for the both of them to stand side by side. He dropped his hand, his shoulder brushing her arm, and his hip brushing her leg.

They were silent as they moved upwards. As she climbed, Eve thought about sunlight, warm on her face and smelling like spring time. It's warmth would dry her clothes and she'd finally be able to see again. Upwards meant closer and closer to the light.

It wasn't long until, instead of another step, Eve's foot encountered something straight and tall. It felt like a dead end.

“What is that?” Jacob echoed her thoughts, and she heard something that might have been skin rubbing against wood. 

She stood still, listening intently. There was a small noise like wood on wood and then the smell of fresh air. Eve took a deep breath, pulling it eagerly into her lungs. It tasted so good, she took another.

“Jacob...”

“I smell it. Come on.”

Eve felt his fingers trail down her arm, and then there was a tug at her hand. Suddenly she was following him instead of the other way around.

Since there was only one way to go, they followed the new corridor. As they did, Eve began to notice a faint echo of light. At first, she thought it was her imagination, wishful thinking after being so long in the dark.

“Do you see that?” Jacob asked suddenly.

“Do you?”

“I think so.”

She picked up her pace, forgetting about being mindful for traps in her eagerness to see again. 

Remembering Jacob's advice, she closed her eyes when the light started to get brighter. With one hand on the wall and one holding onto him, she hurried forward.

Even with her eyes closed, they hurt as she waited for them to adjust to the light. She was impatient to see something—anything--so she opened them before she probably should have. Light burned them, and she blinked rapidly to get rid of the sudden tears.

When she could see, she found herself on the edge of a large room. It looked like someone's personal library. There were shelves of books lining the walls. The shelves went from the floor up further than the eye could see. There were several moveable ladders scattered among them, raised to different heights. Two big windows flanked a large desk piled with even more books. Among the shelves on one wall was a large stone fireplace with an overstuffed armchair in front of it. 

Jacob gave Eve's hand a brief squeeze before releasing it to go to the nearest window. “A garden.”

“Do you think that's where we're supposed to go?”

“I don't see anywhere else. Do you?”

Eve searched the walls and was surprised to find the door they'd come in was the only one. “No.”

He started running his hands over the window frame. “I'm not sure how we get out there.”

“Does the window open?” She joined him in front of it.

“Not that I can see. Try the other one.”

She went to the big window and looked it over. It seemed to be all of one piece, with no moving parts. “It doesn't look like this one opens, either.”

When she turned to look at him, she saw him clearly for the first time since they'd entered the room. He was bathed in weak sunlight, and it showed all the wear off their journey. His face was streaked with dirt, and mud clung to his pants and his shirt, which was more rips than cloth. Immediately, she looked down at herself to see she was even dirtier than he was. Not only that, but the way her t-shirt clung to her breasts was almost indecent, and its hem was stained and tattered. Self consciously, she pinched the front of her shirt and pulled it from her body.

Using his ability to read her mind, he winked at her before turning his attention to the desk.

“If there are no doors leading out of the room, and the windows won't open, we've got to figure out another way to the garden.”

“Break the windows?”

“We could try,” he said absently, sifting through the books, “but I doubt the solution would be that easy. Everything we've run into so far has been about illusion and not trusting our eyes.”

“Then what?”

“A secret passage, maybe. Something that triggers an opening. I don't know, but the answer's got to be here.”

“As long as we don't have to go back down in the dark.” She shivered at the thought. She'd probably have nightmares about being trapped down there. “You know,” she continued, stepping away to study one of the bookshelves, “on TV or in the movies, there's always a copy of _Great Expectations_ that opens the passage.”

She ran her fingertips down the books, reading the titles she could. They were in a multitude of languages, some she'd never seen before and, while she wasn't a linguist like Jacob, she was familiar with the most common ones. She even knew a few words of Chinese.

“The trigger could be a book, but I doubt it's _Great Expectations_. Too easy and not logical.”

“And nothing's ever that easy.”

“Exactly.”

She made a disgruntled noise and continued to peruse the titles. Jacob stayed at the desk. He was seated now, a look of concentration on his face. Eve glanced at him and watched him for almost a minute. It was intriguing how the active, physical Jacob blended with the intelligent, knowledgeable one. 

He glanced up and caught her staring. “What?”

“Do you think the answer is in one of those books?” she asked, pretending this had been what was on her mind.

“Could be.”

That was all the answer she got, so she turned back to the shelves. Everything was quiet except for the sound of rustling pages. Besides being in a multitude of languages, the books covered many different subjects, and there didn't seem to be any method to their organization. There was a book on trees of the Amazon rainforest next to one on the care and feeding of pigs. Calligraphy sat next to the art of war. Most of the books were old.

Eve took one out at random and opened the cover. 1953. Definitely not from a thousand years before. She flipped through it and found it full of beautiful, vibrant pictures. They were of different kinds of roses.

She slipped the book back into place and continued her investigation. When she came to a book titled _The History of Merlin and his love for Niviane_ , she stopped. She glanced at Jacob, who was reading something intently. Not wanting to disturb him, she tentatively touched the book. It felt like the others. Curiously, she pressed on it, wondering if it could be the trigger. Nothing happened.

She sighed and grabbed the book. Hoping there might be clues inside, she pulled it out to look at. When she did, there was a loud scraping noise from one of the windows.

Jacob sprang backwards and barely kept his seat as the window to his right raised about three feet. Sweet scented air rushed into the library, dispelling gloom and dust.

With a steadying hand on the desk, he looked at Eve. “What...?”

“It was a book.” She held it up. “Not _Great Expectations_ , though.”

She went over to the window, still holding onto the book. The garden beyond was inviting, with several types of pretty flowers that Eve had never seen before. The sunshine out there was somehow brighter than it was coming into the library, and a small, cool breeze made flowers and leaves alike dance.

She cautiously stuck the book through the gap in the window. She waited almost a minute, but nothing came crashing or slashing down, even when she dropped it and let it fall to the grass.

Carefully, she put one of her legs through, ready to haul it back at any indication of trouble. Her leg went through as easily as the book had, so she put her other leg through and sat on the windowsill. 

“Anything?” Jacob asked quietly.

“There doesn't appear to be any danger. I still have all my limbs.”

She ducked slightly so she could finish her journey through the window. Sunshine struck her face, bathing her in warmth and fighting to dispel the lingering chill of her wet clothes. It was affection and hope and comfort, and she tilted her head and closed her eyes, letting it sooth her rattled nerves.

Around her, she could hear life. Birds were singing and bees were buzzing. The scent of hundreds of different kinds of flowers surrounded her. In her joy at finally being wrapped up in heat and light after the chill of darkness, she almost forgot where she was and that there was still so much more to do.

Before opening her eyes, she took several deep, cleansing breaths. She might have lingered longer if Jacob hadn't leaned out the window and lightly pinched the back of her leg. 

Eve spun around to see him smiling up at her. “Are you going to let me out?”

She smiled back, offering her hand. “I'm never going to take sunlight for granted again.”

He took her hand and let her pull him to his feet. It was nice to feel his skin against hers again, so she let him go with some reluctance.

“It sure is a sight to see, isn't it?” he agreed. 

They both stood a minute, taking the garden in. It looked well tended, but there were no signs of caretakers. There as a peace there, one that sank through skin and bone to settle in your chest. Eve almost didn't want to go further. It would have been so easy to just sit among the flowers let the peace take over. 

Jacob's arm went around her, and she didn't know if he realized it. She didn't move away or say anything because it was nice, and she didn't want him to take it away. 

After awhile, he said, “The sun's warm enough. It should dry our clothes out.”

It was such a mundane thing to say in such an obviously magical garden that it broke the spell Eve was under.  Feeling almost as if she were waking form a sweet dream, she glanced at him.

Unable to hide her amusement, she said dryly, "You really know how to ruin the moment."

"Were we having a moment?" he teased.

She smirked at him, but it dropped away as his face suddenly turned serious.  His arm was still around her, and their bodies touched pleasantly.  They were so close that his breath tickled her chin and ghosted across her jaw.  His gaze dropped from her eyes to her lips and he leaned in closer.

"Don't," she said softly, putting her hand against his chest to stop him.  His body seemed to burn her fingers.

"Eve."

His voice had deepened, and Eve had to swallow before she could continue.  "I'm not the one you're in love with; I'm not the one you want.  This is just going to hurt us both."

His eyes softened, and he raised his hand to brush hair from her face.  "I know who you are, Eve."

"I don't think you do."  She refused to be moved by the tender fingers on her cheek and the feelings it stirred in her.  "You're hanging on to her through me, but we both deserve more."

"Listen to me."  He put his free hand over hers, holding it against him, and directly meeting her gaze.  "I've seen the differences between you.  You've got scars she never had; I see them in your eyes.  You've seen so much pain, and it's changed you. You're so serious. Your humour and fun are buried deep, but they are a joy to discover. She was more open than you are, but you've got a steadiness that she didn't have.  I see her in you, of course I do, but you're not her, and I don't want you to be.  I don't want you to be anyone but yourself.  My heart is big enough for the both of you.”

Her mouth dropped open in disbelief, and she couldn't pull away.

“Do you think I'm interchangeable with the Stone of your world?”

She thought about Stone, her abstract affection and attraction to him, and how those feelings differed from the sometimes sharp and sometimes overwhelming need and warmth she felt when she was with Jacob. In the past week, she'd come to admire his strength and confidence. She enjoyed his touch and had wondered several times how his lips would feel against her skin. Most of all, she was positive that, despite her best efforts, she'd been steadily falling for him.

"No," she admitted.

"Then give me the same courtesy.  I know how I feel, and I know who I feel it for."

His gaze was so intense that she couldn't answer him, but she didn't protest when he pressed his lips to her cheek.  Her hand, caught between them, felt his heart rate increase, and her stomach fluttered.

"Jacob," she whispered, finally opening herself to the possibilities she'd been fighting all week.

"It's okay.  You don't have to say anything.  I shouldn't have.  I was just tired of tiptoeing around how I feel.  Let's go find Merlin."

He released her and her body felt cold and bereft.  She wanted to grab him and pull him back, and more than anything she wanted to kiss him, but he was right, finding Merlin was their priority. 

“Do you have a preference which path to take?” she asked a little shakily. The garden paths went in three different directions.

He shook his head, so she randomly started down the one on the left. She could hear him behind her, but she didn't glance back. She needed some time to process what had happened.

The delicate floral scent followed her down the path, and she passed both a carved stone bench and an elaborate fountain.

The path led deeper into the garden until it opened up to the largest tree Eve had ever seen. It wasn't overly tall, for a tree, but it was broad. The trunk was easily twenty feet in diameter, and the branches spread thick and wide in all directions. She stopped and stared at it, waiting for Jacob to join her.

“What kind of tree is that?” she asked.

“I don't know. My thing is art and history.” He strode forward, studying it.

“I've never seen anything like it.”

The branches were high enough off the ground that Jacob was able to go up and put his hand on the trunk. Obviously, he thought it was important.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Accounts of Merlin's prison vary,” he told her absently. “Some say it's an actual cave—which is what I expected when we went underground; some say it's stone or glass. Others say it is a sacred tree.”

Eve let her gaze go from the ground up, wondering if there were any way a man could be trapped inside.

“Most of those accounts say the sacred tree is an evergreen. I know enough about trees to know this isn't one.”

“Maybe they were wrong.”

He ran his hand gently over the bark. “It looks like it.”

“How do we know for sure if this is where he is and, if it is, how do we get him out?”

“I'm not...” He stilled and turned to look at her. “Eve, what did you do with the book that let us out of the library?”

With what had happened afterward, she'd forgotten all about the book she'd dropped in the grass. “It's back there.”

“Was it about Merlin?”

“Yes.”

His face lit up. “I think that may be the answer.”

“I'll go get it.”

XXX

Jake sat on the ground reading _The History of Merlin and his Love for Niviane_ with his back against the tree that could be holding Merlin captive. Eve sat beside him, as distracting as ever. He was glad that he'd had the courage to tell her how he felt about her, even if it never went any further.

She was leaning back against the trunk with her eyes closed. Her face was turned up to the sun, and she was smiling slightly. There were streaks of dirt on her cheeks and arms, and the shirt that had once been green was now mostly brown. She painted an almost sweet picture, despite her muscular body and filthy appearance. It was an odd but attractive look for someone who was usually so strong and hard.

“If you're dying to tell me there's dirt on my nose, I already know,” she said casually, not even bothering to open her eyes.

Jake smiled because he knew she couldn't see it and turned back to the book. He'd been mostly flipping through the beginning, past where Merlin fell in love with a woman who couldn't love him because she was repulsed by his evil parentage. Though the story was fascinating one, Jake was more interested in what happened after Niviane had learned all she could from the wizard.

The garden was timeless, as all the places on their journey so far had been, so he had no idea how long he'd been looking through the book when he came across the picture. He stiffened and sat up straight, studying the tree the author had drawn.

Feeling the change in his posture, Eve was immediately alert. “Did you find something?”

“Look at this.” He shoved the book at her.

“That's definitely the tree.”

“It's right after the description of Merlin being imprisoned by the Lady of the Lake.”

“So that's it. He really is in here.” She got to her feet, staring at the trunk warily. “Did it say how we get him out? Are you sure he's even alive in there?”

“I'm not even sure whether he's imprisoned in the tree or whether he's the tree itself.”

“It's hard to believe a man could become a tree.”

“I've seen stranger things.”

“So have I,” she admitted, slowly starting her way around the trunk.

“What are you doing?”

“Looking.”

“For what?”

“I don't know, but I can't just sit there waiting.”

“You want to punch something, don't you?”

She glanced at him and her eyes lit up. “I do. So bad.”

Jake chuckled, his mood lightening. Eve gave him a quick wink before slipping around the trunk out of sight.

More warmed by Eve than he was by the sun, Jake went back to the book. Now that he was finally at Merlin's imprisonment, he wanted to read carefully so he wouldn't miss something important.

He was so deeply into the text that it was awhile before he realized that Eve hadn't come back around the trunk. Frowning, he closed the book and left his finger for a marker. Listening intently, he didn't hear anything but the chirping of birds and the buzzing of bees.

“Eve?” There was no answer except the wind moving through the leaves of the tree. “Eve?”

Jake suddenly felt cold. Quickly, he got to his feet, letting the book close completely. He hurried around the tree, hoping Eve was too distracted to answer.

There was as much garden behind the tree as there was in front, but all of it looked calm and undisturbed. There was no sign of Eve.

“Eve?” he yelled again. The silence that replied made his stomach clench. He tensed, ready to run, but he didn't know where to go. Eve had simply vanished.


	12. Chapter 12

Eve followed her restless legs around the trunk of the tree, leaving Jacob reading. The feeling of peace she'd first encountered extended here, but Eve's active nature fought it as soon as she was on her feet. She could have remained sitting, but her mind just went over and over the things Jacob had said. Now the excuse she'd been making to herself was gone, and she was free to follow her feelings if she wanted. The question was what would that mean? 

As she focused on the the garden instead of her thoughts, she let herself absorb the beauty around her. Eve didn't usually see a lot of beauty in the world. That was for dreamers like Cassandra and Stone and Flynn. She'd seen what the world was all about. It was ugly and full of pain. People hurt each other without a second thought and then blamed their victims—for their sex, for their religion, for the color of their skin, for where they were born. Everyone thought they were in the right, so the pain just went on and on and on. She had been well on her way to being a cold and bitter cynic when the Library found her. Slowly, almost against her will, she'd begun to see shards of beauty and slivers of hope. 

Leaving the tree, Eve decided to explore further into the garden to look for threats and walk off the energy gathering in her limbs. She wandered down a path at random, alert but not really expecting any danger. She hadn't gone very far when she noticed a small caretaker's hut, buried in roses and ivy. It was almost invisible from the path, and if she hadn't been searching so thoroughly, she might have missed it.

Curious, Eve stepped off of the path and carefully made her way through a blanket of sweet scented grass. There was nothing leading up to the hut, but the plants around it were all wild and hearty so that footsteps wouldn't really harm them. Eve noticed this absently as she walked up to the small building and moved the vines partially covering the door's tiny window. Peering inside, she saw a dingy room full of gardening tools.

She started to turn her back on it when she remembered how many things so far hadn't been what they seemed. With that firmly in mind, she pulled on the door. The vines gave way with surprising ease, and the door opened without even a creak.

The room that appeared definitely wasn't the room in the window. It was also dingy, but it was several times larger, with three big windows trying to let sunlight in through centuries of dirt. Along one wall was a group of torches. Another held several different kinds of medieval weapons, some Eve recognized and some she didn't. There were a couple of suits of armor, all put together and standing there like men. Eve eyed them warily but, when they didn't move, she entered the hut.

Going to the weapons, she was surprised to see they all looked newly forged. There were no signs of rust, and it was obvious they had never been used. 

Carefully, she began to look them over. Most of her weapons knowledge involved guns, but she was impressed by the workmanship of the blades. Feeling more comfortable than she had since Jacob had told her to pack her Glock instead of wear it, Eve reached out and took one of the swords. She examined it closely and weighed it for ease of movement. When she was satisfied, she took its matching scabbard and buckled the belt around her waist. 

When she turned to go tell Jacob what she'd found, she froze. The door had disappeared. 

Eve cursed herself for forgetting how many doors in that place were one way. Knowing she probably wouldn't find anything, she went over to the solid wall where the door had been. It no longer even had a window.

“Dammit!” she cursed before pounding on the wall. “Jacob? Jacob?”

She doubted he could even hear her, but she tried for a whole minute anyway, calling his name. When she got nothing but a sore hand for her efforts, she gave in. Her only choice was to move forward and hope the book led Jacob to her.

She studied the windows, wondering if she could break them. Going over to check, she was surprised to see the old farmhouse and its outbuildings instead of the garden.

Since she didn't want to go through everything all over again, the windows weren't an option, Eve searched until she found a shadowy wooden door at the back. It was the only way out, so she took a torch from the wall, knowing there had to be a way to light it. In answer to her thought, the torch burst into a healthy flame. She'd seen so many unusual things since they'd entered the well that she didn't even flinch.

Feeling confident but missing Jacob at her back, she pushed open the door. It led to another dark corridor. Her torch's light flickered along walls that were painted with scenes depicting knights and dragons and kings. The art was beautiful and, fascinated, Eve brought the light closer to study them.

The door closed behind her as she walked along, studying the scenes. Since there was no way out that way, she forced it from her mind.

Eve paused at a particularly haunting picture of a woman coming out of a lake. She had long, blond hair and her features were almost elfin. Her clothes were white wisps of fabric, and her expression was serene. For some reason, the image called to Eve, and she raised her right hand to touch it.

There was a click and a sudden blast of hot air behind her. Eve quickly turned to see the tunnel had erupted in flames. Though there was no visible fuel source, the fire started moving quickly forward. It was generating enough heat that she felt the rest of the moisture evaporate from her clothes.

“Shit!” 

Sprinting down the corridor, she managed to keep just ahead of the flames. They crackled so loudly that the sound echoed through the tunnel. The fire on her torch danced and sputtered as she ran, and she narrowly missed setting her hair alight. Despite this, she clung to it in case she needed it later.

Eve quickly made her way through twists and turns, with the fire on her heels. Even though she was used to physical exercise, it drove her ahead until her legs started to feel like weights. The heat didn't help. Her throat felt dry, and it hurt to swallow; her head was dizzy.

Eve was concentrating so hard on staying in front of the flames that when a new wall of fire suddenly appeared in front of her, it startled her. She threw her hand up to protect her face and skidded to a stop. Panicked, she glanced over her shoulder to see the original fire had stopped. It crackled and danced in place, as if waiting for some kind of order.

Eve hauled in a deep breath, a breath that seared her lungs. Strangely enough, there was no smoke, just that terrible, scorching heat.

She watched both fires warily, her stomach tightening as they spread to touch each other, making a circle around her. She was caged in by the fire, and there was nowhere to run as the circle began to shrink.

Keeping her fear under control, Eve quickly looked around. In each trap she'd faced so far, there'd been a way out. Her eyes went to the floor, which was just simple dirt. When she looked up, she noticed a painting on the ceiling. Bringing up her torch, she saw that it was a realistic representation of roaring flames. Reds, oranges, yellows, and blues mingled in such a way that they seemed to play like a real fire. At their very centre was a dark slit. It was small, maybe big enough for her fingers if she could reach. She frowned up at it, sure it was the answer. Unfortunately, even at a little over five foot eleven, she was a bit too short to explore the opening. 

That's when she remembered the sword on her right hip. Certain this was its purpose, she immediately drew it and poked it upwards. She missed the hole on the first try because she was so rushed. Even though the fire circle was growing continually smaller, she took her time with her second thrust.

The sword slid into the hole, and there was a click much like the one that had released the fire. The click was followed by an ominous creaking noise. Eve just had time to wonder if the cure was worse than the disease when the ceiling cracked open.

Water slammed down on her, as if someone had splashed her with a giant bucket. It wasn't enough to fill the room, but it doused the flame and left Eve soaked to the skin. Again.

She gasped as the water hit her, feeling it plaster her hair to her skull and her clothes to her body. Her torch went out, so she dropped it with a clatter.

“Oh, come on. Really?” she yelled, holding her arms away from her sides.

At least she could see. Even though the fire and her torch had both gone out, light was coming from somewhere. Curious as to where, she wiped the strands of wet hair from her eyes and continued down the corridor. She pulled at her shirt as she went, hating the slimy feeling as it clung to her skin.

The corridor opened up into a cavern large enough to contain a lake. This was where the light was coming from; the water had a blue, ethereal glow. In the middle of the lake sat a small island that contained a life sized statue of a woman. A rowboat sat on the edge of the lake, its oars crossed over the seat.

With nowhere else to go, Eve warily approached the lake. The air by the rowboat shimmered, and she reached for the sword at her waist as something began to appear.

XXX

Jake forced down his panic, making his mind work and not allowing the clenching in his stomach or the tightness in his chest to overwhelm him. He was mostly a calm, rational man, and he used these strengths to push away his fear of losing another woman he deeply cared about.

Tamping down thoughts of her injured or trapped, he started a methodical search. He chose a random path, his senses alert for any sign of her. There was no sound out of place, no hint that there was anyone but him in the garden.

Every once in awhile, he called her name, but he didn't really expect an answer.

When it was obvious she had gone somewhere he'd never randomly stumble upon, he went back to Merlin's tree and the book. Though it killed him not to be actively searching, he knew the book could hold answers he'd never think of on his own.

With a sigh, he put his back to the tree and slid to the ground. The bark was rough and abrasive against his skin through the holes in his shirt, but he welcomed the pain. It helped him to focus.

As he read, he kept his senses alert for signs of Eve's return. He refused to get lost in the book this time, even though it could have the answers he needed.

Jake was staring at a picture of a huge underground lake when a rustle nearby caught his attention. He looked up, hoping for Eve and expecting a small animal. It was neither.

“Hello, Librarian,” Lamia said, her rich, pleasant voice wrapping around him like a caress.

Beside her stood Dulaque, his deceptive cane in his hand. Jake felt a surge of anger so strong he clenched his right hand, but he managed to keep his face blank. There was no way he'd let the duo responsible for his first Eve's death know how much they'd hurt him.

Dulaque smiled coldly as he slowly approached the tree. “I know why you're here. I won't allow you to free him.”

“I don't know what you're talking about. I was just taking a leisurely stroll through the garden and stopped to rest under this tree.”

“You are so droll. Unfortunately, jokes won't get you out of this. You doomed yourself the moment you entered the well.”

Jake continued to lean against the tree, looking as nonchalant as he could. He had one leg out in front of him and the other bent, with his arm draped over the knee. 

Dulaque's cold eyes studied Jake, his face calm and composed. His voice was expressionless when he said, “You shouldn't let your Guardian run loose, Librarian. She's a stranger to this world and vulnerable.”

Jake sat up straighter and scowled at Dulaque. “What are you talking about?”

“She died just as easily the second time.”

The simmering anger Jake had been holding at bay surged again, and he got to his feet. Thoughts of Dulaque stabbing Eve flashed through his mind, feeding the fear he'd been feeling since she disappeared. Enraged, he lunged forward.

In his anger, he'd forgotten about Lamia. She stepped in front of Dulaque, and Jake's momentum and bulk tumbled them both to the ground. He struggled to free himself from her, but she grabbed him tightly and sharply brought up her knee. Jake saw stars as pain enough to steal his breath shuddered through him.

Lamia threw him to the side and straddled him, giving him a quick punch to the face to keep him subdued. For a small woman, she was strong, and he hadn't gotten his breath back. He forced it in and out of his lungs, fighting the pain to reach up and grab her arms in his hands. They felt so delicate, he was sure he could snap them just by squeezing.

“Uh, uh, uh. I wouldn't.”

Suddenly, a blade was at his throat, and he blinked as he looked up into Dulaque's face. The sword in the cane had been released, and Jake could feel its tip pricking the skin on his neck. When Dulaque knew Jake was aware of his predicament, he smiled another of his chilly smiles.

“Prepare to die, Librarian.”

Jake felt Lamia stiffen. “Wait.”

“What is it, my dear?”

“You said you were going to imprison him in the tree.”

“This is more satisfying. I've killed thousands of Librarians, and each one has felt better than the last.”

“But...”

“Don't argue with me. Get out of the way so I can complete my task.”

Doubt and indecision went over her face as she looked from Dulaque to Jake.

“Move now, or I'll kill you, too. Your choice.”

Avoiding the blade, Lamia got to her feet. Jacob squeezed her forearms gently and released her, trying to meet her eyes. She avoided his gaze and watched Dulaque intently.

Calm settled over Jake as he realized he was probably going to die. He was okay with that. Everything he'd been living for was gone and, without Merlin, the world was doomed. He accepted his fate, knowing that all Librarians were murdered eventually, but he wasn't going to let his life go cheaply. If Dulaque wanted to kill him, the price would be steep.


	13. Chapter 13

As the shimmering air in front of her slowly coalesced into a humanoid shape, Eve pulled her sword soundlessly from its scabbard. Her body went into a fighting stance, and she waited to see what she'd be facing.

When the apparition solidified and became recognizable, Eve almost dropped her sword in shock. The person she faced was herself. 

What was the test here, she wondered. Was it to see if she was strong enough to kill herself? Her hand tightened on the grip, and she scowled to show her double she was not afraid.

Though it was cleaner and wore robes of a startling white, it was a perfect copy in every other way except one. When Eve looked into its eyes, she didn't see anything. They were as blank as a doll's.

“That's a good trick,” Eve said, trying to get some expression to come to its face.

It ignored her words and made a lunge, its own sword seeming to come from thin air. Startled, Eve quickly parried. The move was messy, but she managed to deflect the other sword. 

There was no hesitation before it slashed at her again. Eve met the blow a little better than the first one, and the sound of metal on metal rang through the cavern. She pulled back and made a tentative slash of her own.

The double met it easily and countered with a blow that almost took off her right arm. Eve blocked it but missed the follow up, which luckily just grazed her side. It stung a little, and she felt blood began to trickle. She didn't dare to look down, but there wasn't enough pain for it to be a serious wound.

“As if my shirt wasn't ragged enough,” she growled, meeting the double's next thrust clumsily and kicking at its knee. The knee gave way, and it stumbled. Feeling more in familiar territory, Eve used that bit of weakness to bring her sword down hard enough to knock the double's from its hand. The sword clanked as it hit the ground. 

Relieved, Eve sheathed her sword and stepped in to punch the double in the face. Hitting it was not like hitting flesh, and the alien feeling made her skin crawl. It staggered with the blow, and Eve followed with another punch.

When that knocked it to the ground, Eve stood over it, waiting for it to make another move. All it did for a few seconds was look up at her expressionlessly. Eve was surprised when it reached a hand towards her, not in threat but as a request for help.

She almost refused, but something told her this was part of the test. Warily, she reached down and clutched the double's hand. When it did nothing ominous, Eve helped it to its feet, repressing a shudder at the feel of its skin.

Wordlessly, it went to the boat and motioned Eve to follow. Confused by the double's complete reversal, she hesitated. When she did, the thing finally spoke. Its voice was soft and melodious, nothing like her own.

“Do not be afraid, Eve Baird,” it said. “It is only when you stop fighting yourself that you can achieve your heart's desires.”

Still suspicious, she went up to the double and stared into its blank blue eyes. Somehow, she knew the words had not been its own.

There was nothing to do after coming this far but get in the boat. It rocked a little at her weight, but the double steadied it so it wouldn't tip.

“This is weird, even for this job,” she told it, but, of course, it didn't answer.

Once she was seated with the oars in her hands, the double gave the boat a small push to get it in the water. It then shimmered and disappeared, much as it had appeared.

Not wanting to think too much about the fact that she'd been fighting herself and almost lost, Eve picked up the oars and began to row. As she crossed the lake, heading for the island, she wondered what Jacob was doing and what he'd thought about her disappearing. 

Eve rowed hard, making good time as she crossed the glowing lake. She stopped when she heard the boat scrape the bottom. Carefully, she stood and turned to see the island clearly for the first time. It was covered with grass and colorful flowers and dominated by the statue of the lithe woman in loose fitting robes. The carving was exquisite, and she looked real enough to blink her eyes at any second.

Eve carefully got out of the boat, splashing a little as she put her feet into the surprisingly warm water. Bringing the boat with her, she waded the short distance to the shore.

As she pulled the boat up onto the grass, there was a twinge in her side. Remembering her cut, she looked down to assess the damage. Her poor shirt had been split up the side to her armpit, exposing the whole of her ribs. She touched them gingerly. They slowly oozed blood and burned, but the wound didn't look too bad. It just needed to be washed and bandaged. There was at least one of those she could take care of right away. 

Not having a clean cloth, she stepped back into the water and washed her hands.  When they were clean, she knelt to wash the cut thoroughly.  While she washed, it began to tingle.  The feeling was so unexpected that Eve stopped, and she watched in surprise as her skin began to knit back together.  In only seconds, it was as if she'd never had a cut at all.

"My lake has healing properties."

The voice made Eve spin sharply, splashing water.  Behind her, standing next to the statue, stood a woman who could have been its twin.  Her hair was pale and her eyes matched the waters of her lake.

Eve reached for her sword, but the woman said, "Weapons are not needed here.  I am Niviane."

Eve warily made her way back to the grass.  She kept her eyes on the woman, alert for any signs of animosity.  Niviane's face remained serene.

"It was your voice that came from the double of me," Eve guessed.

"Yes.  You passed the last test.  You survived the earth and the air; you survived the water and the fire.  All to reach me and breach the prison I have built."

"Then you know why I'm here."

"There's only one reason to enter my domain.  You wish to free Merlin."

"Yes."

Niviane shook her head.  "You cannot have him."

"The world needs him."  She strode up to Niviane, who was much shorter.  Eve looked down at her, hoping the witch could see the desperation in her eyes.  "He's the only one who can save it."

"You would not say this if you knew what he was."

"Niviane, listen to me.  People can't help who their parents are.  Believe me, I know, but that doesn't mean they can't be more than that.  Once Merlin trapped most of the wild magic in the world to make it manageable and to keep it from hurting innocent people, but now it's loose, and people are dying."

Niviane thought this over before shaking her head again.  "That may be true, but the world must be saved without him."

"Why?"

"Because a beast who is half-human and half-demon is an anathema.  His very soul is black."

Eve frowned.  "I thought they fixed that with Holy Water."

"Not enough.  Not nearly enough."  The Lady of the Lake turned away.

"Wait," Eve said.  "If you think he's evil, why are you still here?"

This caught the witch's attention.  She turned back to ask, "What do you mean?"

"Over a thousand years, and you've been here the whole time.  With him.  There must be a reason."

"I am guarding him."

"I don't think so.  You could have locked him somewhere without a key.  You could have left an impenetrable trap and been far away from here.  Something made you keep him alive in a prison that could be unlocked.  Part of you must have wanted him to eventually be free."

Nivian's pale skin colored.  "You are mistaken."

"No.  I'm not."  When the witch just stared at her, she continued, "There's no better time than this.  We need him.  Without him, the world will die.  Everything will die."

"Including the man you love."

"What?"  Eve took a step back.

"You have passed all my tests, but you did not come here alone.  You are a Guardian for the Library, and you've come with a Librarian, but he is not your Librarian."

"Jacob."

"I can see that you love him."

"I've only known him a week,” she protested. Of course, that didn't count the two months between their two meetings. 

“Time does not matter to the heart.”

Eve wasn't sure if what she felt for Jacob was love. She hadn't even let herself really acknowledge it until she discovered he cared for her, too. Whatever she felt, it was still a very private thing. Uncomfortable, she pressed on. “And your heart? What does it say?."  

"My heart tells me you are a good person, Eve Baird.  It tells me that you have died once in this world and once in another, and yet you are still alive.  You wish to protect the world from the evil that threatens.  Not just this world but the other as well.  My heart tells me that you truly believe that Merlin's release is what is best."

"I also think that you want to let him go.  Not just to keep the world together but because you want to see him again.  There must be a reason you've stayed near him all this time, and it's not because you hate him."

Niviane searched Eve's face, and Eve wondered what she saw.  She remained quiet, waiting for Niviane to speak.  Eve's request hung heavy in the air.

Finally, Niviane gave a short nod and stepped to the statue.  She reached up and took a necklace from its neck and held it out to Eve.

"Thank you," Eve said, taking it with gentle fingers.

"You must hurry, Eve Baird.  My son knows you are here, and his aim is to kill the Librarian."

"Your son?"

"The world now knows him as Dulaque, and he will stop at nothing to keep magic in the world.  You must go and go quickly."

Eve clutched the key.  "How do I get back?"

"I will help you.  I will not fight my son, but I will get you where you need to be to save your love."

"I appreciate this."

"You're running out of time.  You can thank me later, once the Librarian is safe." 

She turned back to the statue and ran her hand from its forehead down the front of its body. White light started emanating from it, following her fingers.

“What is that?”

“It's a portal. Hurry.”

Deciding to continue trusting Niviane, Eve went to the statue. The doorway it made would be a tight fit, since it was only slightly larger than Niviane, but Eve was sure she could force herself through it, especially if it meant rescuing Jake and saving the world.

The transition from the cavern to the garden was instantaneous. She was in one place, and then she was in another without the usual moment of disorientation she was used to.

Quickly, she took in the scene in front of her. The entire garden was silent as if even the birds and the bees were interested in what was happening. Dulaque was standing over Jacob with a sword to his throat. Lamia, looking pale and nauseated, stood nearby. Eve zeroed in on the sword and noted the trickle of blood on Jacob's neck.

Fear, anger, regret, and horror mingled inside of her as she realized that she'd almost been too late. With a clarity she'd lacked since her arrival in this world, she saw what she'd be losing if she failed.

“Dulaque!” she yelled, and the ancient leader of the Brotherhood looked up. In his moment of inattention, Jacob batted the blade and rolled away. Eve rushed forward, dropping the key and drawing her own sword, not waiting to see what Dulaque would do. She had no hope of beating him in fair combat, but she wasn't against a little dirty fighting—not if it kept everyone alive.

Dulaque came forward more quickly than a man showing as much age as he was should be able to. His sword was ready and hit hers with a loud clang. He was stronger than she expected, and she staggered back a step. He followed with another move, and she was barely able to get her blade up in time to stop it. Absently, she noticed Jacob getting to his feet, a strange mixture of emotions on his face.

As if he could feel Jacob's movement, Dulaque paused. Seeing her opportunity, Eve slashed at him. He caught her blade deftly on his and deflected it. In the same movement, he turned his body slightly and stuck his free hand into the opposite side of his suit jacket. His hand was a blur as he flung something behind him. Jacob staggered, clutching his leg. The long handle of a dagger stuck out through his fingers.. Eve's stomach jumped as he fell. Goosebumps broke out along her skin, and she almost didn't parry Dulaque's next blow in time.

“You're a hard woman to kill,” Dulaque snarled, “but this time you'll stay dead.”

Eve didn't take time to answer him. She was too busy trying to stay alive.

Dulaque made three quick strokes, which Eve somehow managed to meet, but she didn't think she could continue deflecting them for much longer. 

“Not bad, Guardian,” Dulaque said. “You're lasting longer than I expected.”

His blows slowed down, and he smiled at her ghoulishly. Eve hated being toyed with. She scowled at him and wondered if trying to punch him in the face would get her killed.

A loud cracking noise distracted her, and she narrowly missed losing her hand as she danced out of the way of Dulaque's sword at the last second. The ground shook.

“What the hell was that?” Dulaque asked, finally stopping his attack.

“Earthquake?” she suggested.

Now that there was a pause in the fighting, she saw that Jacob had used the tree to pull himself up. He stood there, pale-faced and staring at the trunk in shock. There was a huge crack in the bark, starting from the roots and stretching up until it was lost in the branches.

“What? What is it?” Dulaque must have read something in her face. He spun around. “You stupid, stupid girl! What have you done?”

Lamia was standing near the tree with the necklace Niviane had given Eve in her hand. She looked as pale as Jacob.

“It looks like you're too late, Dulaque,” Eve told him.

“No! Not if you're all dead.” He surprised her with a lunge.

She heard Jacob desperately call her name as she spun away, bringing up her own sword. Dulaque was already making another lunge. It seemed he was done playing.

Eve had difficulty meeting the increasingly quick blows, and she knew it wouldn't be long until she missed.

“Somno.” A voice rang through the garden, so loud it echoed inside her head.

Eve dropped her sword and clutched her forehead. She closed her eyes, wincing at the pain. When she opened them, Dulaque was crumpled on the ground.

“What the hell?”

She looked from him to Lamia and Jacob, who had been joined by a second man. He seemed young, maybe twenty-five, and he had shaggy, sandy hair and the stubble of a slightly darker beard. He was about her height and rail thin. Though he wasn't what Eve would call handsome, he had an interesting face. A kind one.

“Will someone please tell me what's going on?” He spoke with an English accent, cultured and more modern than Eve would have expected.

“Merlin?” Lamia asked, her voice hushed and respectful.

“Yes. What year is this?”

“2015.”

Jacob swayed on his feet, clutching the tree, and Eve forgot all about the wizard. She hurried forward, supporting Jacob before he could fall.

“Eve,” he whispered, touching her face with bloody fingers.

Through the pain, there was something else in his expression, something almost heartbreaking.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I thought you were dead. Dulaque said he'd killed you.”

“First rule of the Library, the Brotherhood lies.”

“Why have you released me?” Merlin asked, interrupting them. 

Eve lowered Jacob gently to the ground. “I know why we released you. The question is, “Why did Lamia release you?”

“I did it to save you,” Lamia said, looking more honest and sincere than the woman in Eve's world ever had. “This time, I wanted to do what was right.”

“This time?”

Jacob was leaned back against the tree, his hands on his leg. “She let Dulaque in the Library when he killed Eve.”

He didn't sound angry, just sad.

“I didn't know he would kill her, Librarian. I don't want anyone to die; I just want to be able to use magic.” She pointed at Merlin. “He uses it and is not evil. It doesn't have to be Librarian or Brotherhood.”

“Dulaque has released wild magic,” Jacob told Merlin through clenched teeth. “It's destroying the world. We need you to trap it again, like you did with Excalibur and the stone.”

He nodded slowly. “I have dreamed of this.”

“You have?” Eve asked.

“Yes. Many things came to me during my long slumber. I saw vehicles that ran on their own power and ones that fly through the air. There are things that should be magic but are not. Everything is different but, for all that, not much has changed. I will help you trap the magic...and I will help you find the Library.”

“Speaking of help, can you help him?” 

Eve knelt by Jacob, worried about the damage the knife was doing every time he moved. She wanted to pull it out but there was a risk of even more damage—and fatal blood loss—if she tried.

Merlin came and knelt beside them, studying the wound. “I'm sorry. I'm not a healer.”

“Do not worry, Eve Baird. Your Jacob Stone will not die.”

Eve turned to see the Lady of the Lake standing in the same place Eve herself had appeared. She looked different in the garden's light, more real and substantial. Her skin was so pale, it almost matched her robes, and the only color on her body was her very blue eyes.

“Niviane!” Merlin straightened. Several emotions went over his face before it settled on wonder. It appeared he still loved her, even after all she'd done.

“I have come for my son. I will make sure he will not wake until you are far from this place.

“Jacob's been stabbed,” Eve told her. “Can you help him?”

A soft smile played over the witch's lips. Instead of answering, she went to Eve and held out her hand. Puzzled, Eve took it to find it held a small vial. She accepted the vial and studied it, noting it glowed slightly blue.

“Is this from your lake?”

“Yes. It will heal him. If you are separated, it will not be by death.”

“Thank you.”

“You are welcome. It is the least I can do for a woman whose strongest wish is to save the world.”

“I've missed you, Niviane,” Merlin said quietly.

Niviane looked at him, the smile dropping from her face. “You must go into the world, Merlin. You are needed, so I have released you.”

“Why did you do it?” he asked, approaching her. “I love you. All I wanted was for you to love me back.”

“That will never be,” she told him firmly before her face softened, “but maybe, someday, you will find love with another.”

When his face fell, she turned from him and knelt by Dulaque.

“What will you do with him?” Lamia asked.

“I will bring him to my island until he wakes.”

“He'll be looking for you,” Jacob told Lamia. Eve put her hand on his shoulder to keep him from moving too much.

“I know.”

Niviane picked up Dulaque as easily as she would have a child. Once he was in her arms, she turned back to say, “Merlin, you would be wise to take on this one as your next apprentice. She loves the magic, and she will not betray you.”

“As you did?”

“Yes,” she said simply.

Lamia glanced at Merlin. “You would teach me?”

“If you wish.”

“It's all I've ever wanted.”

Eve watched this exchange and, when it was over, she noticed that Niviane was gone.

Jacob groaned, and Eve forgot all about the Lady of the Lake. Quickly, she pulled the knife from his leg. Blood welled from the wound, soaking his thigh. Using her teeth, she unstoppered the bottle Niviane had given her and poured it evenly through the gash in his pants. Her hand shook, though she tried to keep it steady.

At first, nothing happened, and Eve thought Niviane had played a cruel joke on her. Then Jacob whispered, “It tingles.”

His skin began to knit together under the blood. Eve watched it with fascination until it disappeared, leaving a faint scar and the rip in his pants. 

“You okay?” she asked.

“I think so.” She helped him to his feet, and he stood on his leg tentatively. When it didn't collapse, he lifted his left leg and hopped a couple of times. “Good as new.”

“We should be going,” Lamia urged. “I don't want to be here if Dulaque awakens.”

“That begs the question of how.” Eve tore her eyes from Jacob.

“I know a way. How do you think we got here so quickly?”

Eve didn't like that they'd have to rely on Lamia. She didn't completely trust her, no matter what Niviane said. Still, Lamia had released Merlin to save them.

“All right,” she replied, slipping her arm around Jacob, though he didn't need it. “Lead us out of here.”


	14. Chapter 14

It was almost dawn when they made it back to the Annex. Eve didn't know if she was more tired or more hungry. She did know she was in need of a long, hot soak. Both she and Jacob were full of mud and blood. Her clothes were so stiff, she thought they might be able to stand on their own when she got out of them.

As they went through the door connected to the original crumbled cottage, Eve stumbled as much from exhaustion as the disorienting effect of the wormhole. Jacob steadied her with his arm, and she leaned against him, not because she needed to but because she'd almost lost him.

“He were are,” he said. “Home sweet home. Make yourselves comfortable.”

Lamia started wandering around the room. “This looks just like your office in the Library.”

“The Annexes all have a room like this.”

Eve reluctantly pulled away from him. “And the desk resets itself to the Librarian's preferences. It's annoying.”

“Is there a workroom?” Merlin asked.

“Yeah, down that hallway. A workroom, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a small living room.”

“I'll need somewhere to create another vessel and key so I can lock away the magic. Do you mind if I use it?”

“No. Go ahead. How long do you think it will take?”

Merlin shrugged. “A few days, at least.”

Lamia paused in her investigation. “May I help?”

“I was going to ask. I'll need an extra pair of hands, and you should see what it is like to wield magic without evil intent.”

“Good. You can start in the morning,” Jacob told them. “For now, all I want is to get something to eat and fall in bed. It's been a long twenty-four hours.”

Eve's stomach growled, agreeing with him. The apple and partially smushed sandwich seemed a distant memory. “I could eat a horse.”

“You two hungry?” This was posed to Lamia and Merlin.

“I haven't eaten in over a thousand years. I would love some meat.”

“I should have something to fit the bill. Lamia?”

“Yes. That would be fine.”

“Great!” Eve clapped Jacob on the shoulder. “You go whip something up in the kitchen. I'm going for a hot, hot, hot shower. Call me when it's done.”

Lamia eyed Jacob. “There's no need. I'll fix something. I'd prefer not to eat food made by someone covered in three layers of mud and blood.”

Jacob looked down at himself. “I am pretty ripe.”

“Yes, you are.”

Without waiting for his reaction, Lamia headed down the hallway with Merlin behind her. Eve worried briefly about the former member of the Brotherhood touching something she was going to eat but dismissed it since the Lamia of this world seemed disinclined to kill people, and Merlin would be watching her.

When the pair was out of sight, Jacob reached over and played with the ripped side of her shirt. “Something tells me there's a story here.”

Eve frowned. “I think I'm going to burn this shirt.”

“I don't know. It's a good look.”

“I think it survived better than yours.” She smirked, taking in the shirt that was little more than tatters.

Jacob stuck his fingers through one of the holes. “What do you mean? It's supposed to look like this.”

Eve chuckled, and her insides started to relax. Jacob smiled at her warmly, and she felt an answering warmth deep in her body. Unable to deny her affection and relief that he was alive and whole, she pulled him close and kissed his cheek. 

“I'm glad you're okay.” The words seemed inadequate.

Jacob's arms went around her and pulled her closer. He let out a long, soft sigh. Eve's stomach fluttered at the feel of him against her. Without speaking, she closed her eyes and ran her fingers through his soft hair. 

“When I thought Dulaque had killed you, my heart almost stopped,” he whispered against her neck.

She thought about how frightened she'd been when she saw he was about to die. In that instant, she'd regretted not admitting she cared for him when he'd confronted her in the garden. He'd almost died not knowing how much she wanted him. Eve was determined to rectify that situation. She was going to show him exactly how she felt. But not now. She was way too exhausted. It was enough just to hold him.

When he pulled from her, she immediately missed his body, but she didn't protest.

“We should get cleaned up,” he said, cupping her cheek briefly. There was so much tenderness in the gesture that a sudden ache came to her chest.

“We stink so bad, we might ruin Merlin's and Lamia's breakfast,” she agreed through a lump that had formed in her throat.

He winked at her, his serious expression softening. “We wouldn't want that.”

“No.”

He looked so tired that she gave him a gentle push on the shoulder. “Go, Librarian, before you keel over.”

“Ditto. And put on some clean clothes.”

Eve shook her head in amusement and rolled her eyes, echoing, “Ditto.”

XXX

When Eve finally dragged herself out of bed, she found Jacob standing at the rail at the top of the stairs. His gaze was on the room below, but his eyes were empty, and she could tell he wasn't seeing it.

He looked a bit more like her world's Stone, though still a little wild. She could tell he'd made an effort to comb his hair, and he was clean shaven.

Not speaking, she went over and leaned against the rail beside him. He glanced at her and, though his expression didn't change, she felt welcome.

“What secrets of the universe are you contemplating so seriously?” she asked.

His face didn't smile but his eyes did. “They've started. About an hour ago. I can't help but wonder what happens now.”

“Now, Merlin traps the wild magic and everyone lives happily ever after.”

“We both know it won't be that easy. Once the magic is gone, then what? How will the world remake itself? Will it be better or worse? What will it look like?”

“That's why there's a Librarian.”

“Yeah.” His gaze went back down to the room. The weight of the job hung heavily on his shoulders.

Without saying any more, Eve put her hand over his. He shifted so that his fingers could thread through hers. She squeezed gently, and he squeezed back.

She stood there with him, staring down into the unknown, for a long time.

XXX

The day went by slowly. Jacob went to read and write an article about some artist Eve had never heard of, and Eve was left to her own devices. At first, she wandered around the Annex, too restless to settle in anywhere.

Sitting still wasn't an easy thing for her and, after an hour of trying to find something to do, she felt like screaming. She decided to go for a walk. Exercise always seemed to help keep her focused. Heading to the kitchen to find a hydrating snack to take with her, she stopped in front a a door that hadn't been there before.

Curious as to what the Annex thought they needed now—it had already grown two extra bedrooms for Lamia and Merlin the night before—she forgot about getting something to eat. When she opened the door, she couldn't help but smile. The Annex always knew what she needed.

The small gym looked very much like her own gym at home. There was a variety of equipment, but Eve's eyes went right to the bag hanging near the door.

Even though she wasn't really in workout clothes, Eve was eager to start pounding her stress and tension away. The day before had been one of horror and revelations, of darkness and light, of pain and joy. She'd found what she'd wanted and almost lost it. It was enough to leave her feeling tight and ready to burst. She needed a way to work through everything that had happened, and a punching bag was the best thing she knew.

As she began to work the bag, her mind filled with a jumble of thoughts. She let them flow through her—faces and water and a beautiful garden. Lamia and Dulaque and Merlin and Niviane. Jacob. Jacob smiling. Jacob touching her. Jacob hurt. She'd traveled across timelines because of the way he looked at her; she was falling in love with him, if she wasn't completely there already, but hadn't found the right time to show him. 

Eve let the thoughts come and go, beating out the tension until her muscles began to burn pleasantly.

This is where Jacob found her. She was so in the zone that she didn't know he was there until he spoke. 

“Here's where you disappeared to.”

She whirled around to see him leaning on the wall near the door. He looked extremely relaxed, and Eve guessed writing about obscure art was his way of punching out stress. 

Pretending he hadn't startled her, she asked, “All done your article?”

“The first draft. Merlin and Lamia are still in the workroom.”

“What time is it?” She wiped a trickling bead of sweat from her forehead.

“It's after four. I checked on them to see if they were still alive in there, and Merlin asked for another couple of hours.”

“I wonder if they're making any progress.”

Jacob shrugged. “He didn't say, just kicked me out of the room like it's not my Library.” He sounded amused rather than angry.

“We've got to trust that he knows what he's doing.”

“If he can put the genie back in the bottle, he can take over any room he wants.”

“He seems sure he can do it.”

Jacob nodded. “And find the Library, too, without the items on your list.” He scratched the side of his head thoughtfully. “You know, once he's finished with what he's doing, we're finally going to have some time to breathe.”

Puzzled, she studied his face. “What are you trying to say?”

“If you want, we can go after this world's Stone of Hope so you can go home.”

“Is that what you want?” she asked in surprise, her throat tightening.

He had been avoiding her gaze but, at her question, he looked into her eyes. Quietly, he stated, “You know what I want.”

Her mind went to the moment in the garden when she'd discovered he had feelings for her. The memory was clear and sharp. She forced herself to meet his intensity. They stood there staring at each other, and time seemed to stop. She felt a flush spread pleasantly through her body. The time had come to tell him. Better with actions than words, Eve swallowed hard, trying to decide what to say.

“Eve?”

“I'm not in any rush.” 

“You want to stay?”

“I'm a little homesick, but they don't need me. I'm needed here, and I want to help make things right,” she started. He didn't give her time to finish.

“Oh.” His reply was soft, but it hit her right in the gut.

“Jacob.”

“Well, you're welcome here as long as you want to stay.”

She put her hand on his arm. “Jacob.”

“I'll be grateful to have the help. After Merlin and Lamia are done, the hard work starts.”

“Jacob.”

He wasn't listening to her. In frustration, Eve grabbed him firmly by the shoulders. Finally, he stopped talking. She waited until she was sure he was really paying attention.

Seeing the questions in his eyes, she continued, “And if you think that's the only reason I want to stay, Librarian, you need to open your eyes.”

“Eve?” he asked, a tentative quality in his voice.

She moved one of her hands to his face and trailed it down his cheek. Though he was clean shaven, stubble was just starting to give a hint of roughness. 

Jacob stilled at her touch. When he closed his eyes, she had no choice but to bend and kiss him. Pleasure skittered through her as he responded, gently at first, and then pulling her closer, deepening it until she was lost in him. 

By the time the kiss ended, Eve knew she'd made the right decision.

XXX

The only time Eve saw Merlin and Lamia at all that day was when they came out for a quick bite to eat, so she was surprised to see them at the counter the next morning when she went yawning into the kitchen for cereal. They were softly talking but turned to look at her when she entered. She could tell they were both exhausted.

“Hey, what are you doing up so early? I expected you to sleep in after working so late last night.”

Lamia grimaced. “To sleep in, we'd have to go to bed first.”

“You've been up all night?”

“What I was doing was delicate,” Merlin told her. “I didn't dare stop in the middle. We're going to bed now.” He rubbed a hand tiredly across his forehead. 

Eve grabbed a bowl out of the cupboard. “Are you making any progress?”

“Quite a bit.” He brightened a little. “We've got the key almost finished. It just needs to be connected to the vessel. We'll be starting on the vessel this afternoon.”

“How long do you thing that will take?”

“Two days. Maybe three.”

She grabbed a box of cereal from the next cupboard. “Have you eaten?”

“We just finished.”

She accepted this and went to the fridge. “When you're done, how much magic will be left in the world?”

“It will be similar to the last time. Most magical creatures will fade from view, with the exception of the more powerful ones. Magic will leave the air and remain mostly in magical objects like the ones stored in the Library. People who could not use magic before it was released will not be able to once again, but people born to magic or people willing to learn traditional ways and spells will be able to connect to the dim hints that remain.”

“So, your average Joe won't even know magic exists, and the Librarian will be able to find what's dangerous and neutralize it.”

“Yes.”

“The world I'm from is somewhere between the two.” Since neither Merlin nor Lamia looked surprised, Eve assumed Jacob had told them of her origins. “The Brotherhood let out about half of the magic before we stopped them. There's magic in the world, but every time it's gotten dangerous, we've been able to contain it.”

“I'm sure my counterpoint in your world would be as happy to help as I am.”

Eve nodded thoughtfully, getting her cereal ready. “It's good to know. The truth is, I think they welcome having a little more magic in the world. Librarians get this look in their eyes when it's time for them to go out and confront the weird; they get off on it.”

“Magic does not fascinate you, Guardian?” Lamia asked curiously.

“The only thing that interests me is keeping everyone alive.”

“Spoken like a true Guardian.” Merlin smiled.

“Speaking of Guardians and Librarians, have either of you seen Jacob?” She wondered if they knew that she and Jacob had come to an understanding.

“Not this morning.”

“Maybe he's still asleep.”

“It's been quiet.”

“When I see him, I'll let him know you just got to bed.”

“Thank you.”

Merlin and Lamia left, and Eve sat in peaceful silence eating her cereal. She waited for Jacob to appear. When he didn't, she put her bowl in the sink and went to look for him. She peeked in all the rooms on the ground floor then headed upstairs. 

His bedroom door was still closed, so she knocked on it lightly. “Jacob?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I come in?”

“Sure.”

When she opened the door, it was obvious that he hadn't been awake long. He was still in bed, his eyes bleary and his hair mussed. The blankets came to his waist and, though he was shirtless, a band of some kind showed just above the sheet.

“Did I wake you?”

He blinked at her sleepily. “Nah. I was awake. Just.”

“Do you want me to...?” She gestured at the door.

A soft, lazy smile, one she'd never seen before, came to his face. It made her heart flutter and a hot flush travel over her cheeks and down her neck.

“C'mere.”

He rolled onto his side and held his arm out to her. The flush spread as Eve turned to close the door behind her.

“Exactly what did you have in mind?” she asked quietly, approaching the bed.

“You'll have to come closer to find out.”

Fighting her smile, she crossed the room, thinking of the kisses they'd shared the night before. She sat on the edge of the bed, and Jacob draped his arm over her legs.

“Well?”

“Closer.”

He shifted a bit to make more room, so she lay down beside him, her head on his pillow, the scent of Bulgari and apples enveloping her. When she was settled, he put his arm around her until his chin rested against her shoulder.

“Been up long?” he asked, his breath caressing the hollow of her throat.

“About an hour.” She ran her hand down his bicep, traveling slowly to his forearm. “Lamia and Merlin were just heading to bed. I told them we'd try to be quiet for a couple of hours.”

“This is quiet.” He kissed her shoulder.

“I thought maybe we could spar in the gym.”

“Later.”

“Later,” she agreed. Somehow, she wasn't surprised that Jacob was a cuddler. 

He played with the bottom of her shirt, running his finger just along the inside and making her stomach tighten. 

“Merlin said he should be done whatever it is he's doing in a couple of days. Do you know what we'll do then?”

“After he traps the wild magic?”

“Yes.”

Jacob sighed. “I don't even want to think about it yet. We're not going to be able to affect the big picture. Our job will be behind the scenes, cleaning up what's left of wild magic.” 

“But it's going to be rough.”

“But not impossible.”

“And you won't have to do it alone.”

“No.” He kissed her cheek and then her nose.

“That's very distracting.”

“I hope so.” He brought his hand up to trail his fingers down her face. The touch was feather light. Eve sighed and closed her eyes. Jacob's fingers moved down her neck, and her breath caught. His body was strong and solid around her; his skin created lovely fires, not only from his fingers but also his chest and stomach against her arm.

“Do you know me well enough to tell me now?” he asked quietly.

Eve's eyes flew open. “Tell you what?”

“About the last ten years.”

She shifted away a little to meet his gaze. “What do you want to know?”

“Everything, Eve. I want to know everything.”

“Some of it's not pretty.”

“I can deal with not pretty.”

Eve thought about this. She knew what he was asking. She'd never talked about the horrors she'd seen with anyone. It had been easier to keep them inside and pretend they didn't exist, even though they colored everything she did.

“Are you sure?”

He brought her in close to him again, until his nose touched her cheek. When he spoke, it was just a breath into her ear. “Yes.”

“Okay.”

His hand gently caressed her side as she began to speak. She told him everything she'd never told anyone else, taking comfort from his silence and, as she spoke, something in her soul lifted. Light began to enter the dark parts of her heart for the first time in a very long time.


	15. Chapter 15

It actually took four more days for Merlin to finish the spell creating both a vessel to trap the magic and a key to release it. The objects he used this time around were much more modest, just small magical items that were somehow connected and lying around Jenkins's workshop.

“We should be able to start the spell to link these with wild magic in the morning,” Merlin told them that night over supper. “It will take several hours for the final spell and then another few hours for them to absorb the magic. After that, I think we should hide them where it's unlikely anyone will find them again.”

“What about giving one of them to Nick?” Eve asked, twirling spaghetti around her fork.

“Nick?”

Jacob shrugged, looking just as confused.

“Nicholas. You know. Immortal avatar of good will and hope.”

“Do you mean Santa Claus?”

“I refuse to call him Santa.”

“You know him?” Everyone was looking at her with surprise.

“We're almost friends.” She sat down her fork with a frown. “At least we were, but that wasn't here.”

“Well, it's worth a shot,” Jacob admitted. “He's immortal, practically unkillable, and completely incorruptible. If he's seen what's been happening to the world over the past six months, he'll want the magic trapped as much as we do.”

Merlin nodded. “It is an option.”

“Do you know what you and Lamia will be doing once everything is done?”

Merlin chewed and thought before saying, “I thought we might get a place near here where I can teach Lamia the things she needs to know but still be on hand to aid the Librarian if he needs us. Also, I have promised my help in retrieving the Library.”

Eve liked this idea. It had been her experience that the more people working with the Librarian, the greater chance he had to succeed.

“I appreciate it,” Jacob said gratefully.

“Librarian,” Lamia put in quietly. There was something in her tone that made everybody still.

“Yeah?”

Lamia was looking down at her plate, but, at his acknowledgment, she looked up. “I should have said this days ago, but...” She swallowed.

“What is it?”

“I'm sorry about your Guardian. I'm so sorry.”

“I know you are.”

“Will you be able to forgive me?”

“Yes. In time.”

He didn't say any more, and the table lapsed into an uncomfortable that lasted the rest of the meal.

XXX

Later that evening, Eve found Jacob reading in his favorite chair. The book was bound in worn brown leather, and the pages were dark with age. There was a calm expression of enjoyment on his face, and Eve watched him for almost a minute, hating to interrupt him.

He must have felt her standing there because he looked up, and his expression changed to welcome her.

“Do you want me to come back later?”

“No. Have a seat.” He patted the plump arm of his chair.

Taking him up on his offer, she settled on the arm, leaning against the back of the chair. Jacob shifted to give her a little more room. When she draped her arm around his shoulders he gave her knee a gentle squeeze.  
“What are you reading?” she asked.

“Francis Bacon's _Novum Organum Scientiarum_ in the original Latin.”

“Fascinating.”

“It is if you're interested in inductive reasoning.”

“Okay, what I just heard was you're reading blah blah blah about whosit whatsit.”

He laughed. “Then I guess it's not your thing.”

Carefully, he closed the book and set it on the table.

“You didn't have to stop reading because of me.”

“Your company is better than any book.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere.” She ran her fingers through his hair, enjoying the feel of the silky strands.

“Why didn't you tell me this two weeks ago?”

“You didn't...” Eve stopped as something tickled her brain. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

She untangled herself from Jacob. “I don't know. Voices, maybe.”

It was like a whisper in the back of her mind. Eve wasn't sure whether she'd actually heard it or thought it.

“Eve?”

She stood up, straining to hear.

“Is something wrong?”

“I think I'm hearing voices.”

“I don't hear anything.”

“It's faint. I'm not sure if...”

“Is this going to work?” The words were sharp and clear, and the soft, childlike voice was familiar.

“Okay, Jacob, tell me you heard that.”

“No. I still didn't hear anything.”

“I was afraid you'd say that.”

Her body started to tingle, and she felt a gentle pull somewhere in her middle.

“We did exactly what it said. Calm down. It will work.” This voice had an Australian accent, one that usually filled Eve with both exasperation and affection.

Her stomach clenched as she realized that they'd somehow figured out how to cross timelines.

“Jacob,” she said, keeping her voice even. “Come here.”

He got up and walked over to her. When he reached her, she took his hand and squeezed it hard.

“Eve, what's wrong?”

“I'm leaving.”

“Leaving...What?”

“Not by choice. Remember, it's not my choice.”

The voices were getting louder, and her vision was starting to get fuzzy.

“You're fading.”

“They're pulling me back.”

His hand started to feel less substantial in hers until it was like trying to hold onto smoke. 

“Eve!”

His voice was faint and, in the next instant, both he and the room faded away. Everything was gray for the span of two breaths, and then she found herself suddenly surrounded by people.

“Baird?”

“Colonel Baird, are you okay?”

“Eve, can you hear me?”

They all spoke at once, and their words swirled around her as she tried to make sense of what they were saying.

As her mind started to adjust to what she was seeing, she realized she was in her original Annex with Flynn, Stone, Cassandra, and Ezekiel all looking at her with concern. She just had time to wrap her mind around this before Cassandra was throwing her arms around her.

“Colonel Baird, we were so worried.”

Eve hugged the small woman back, glad to see her. She was happy to see all of them, despite leaving half of her heart in the other timeline.

“I'm okay. How did you find me?”

“It was this book.” Jones held it up for her to see. “It has lots of different theories for mind blowing stuff.”

“You sure you're okay?” Stone asked, staring into her face intently.

Eve felt a slight blush come to her cheeks, and she avoided his gaze. “I'm fine.”

“Where were you?” Flynn demanded. “What happened?”

“I was in an alternate timeline,” she told him. “I went back to the one where I met the other you.”

“That's the one where wild magic was destroying the world?”

“Yes.”

“Where I was the Librarian,” Stone said quietly.

“Yes.” She still couldn't meet his gaze.

“Did you see them there?” Cassandra's eyes lit up with curiosity.

Eve sighed and rubbed her forehead. “It's a long story. Look, I'll tell you everything, but can I do it tomorrow? I'm exhausted.”

“Wait,” Flynn said, “is time parallel there? What time was it when you left?”

“After eleven.”

He looked at his watch. “11:37.”

“No wonder she's tired.” Stone surprised her by pulling her into a brief hug. He smelled and felt so much like Jacob that she wanted to cling to him. “Get some sleep, Baird.”

“Yes, I suppose we all could use some sleep. We've been working on this for hours. We were worried you were in danger.”

“Not recently.” She smiled. “About a week ago, different story.”

“Which you'll tell us.”

“Tomorrow.”

Though her heart ached for Jacob, she had missed her friends terribly. She decided to show it with a rare hug for each of them. She started with giving Stone another one and ended with Jones, who held her tightly, though he'd seemed almost blasé about her reappearance.

“I missed you,” she said honestly.

“We're glad you're home.” Flynn smiled and clapped her on the shoulder.

“Me, too.” There was some lie in it, but it was mostly truth.

“Our rooms are still here,” Cassie told her.

“Yes,” Flynn agreed, “and one for me. We may as well all sleep here tonight and have breakfast together in the morning.”

“Sounds good to me,” Eve said and started up the stairs.

She ignored the others behind her, trying to orient herself. It was hard for her to process all that had happened and hard to believe she was really home. Thinking of Jacob hurt, and she needed some privacy to think about him and convince herself she'd never see him again.

By morning, she knew she'd be able to accept it. At least, that's what she told herself.

XXX

It had been twelve hours since Eve left him.

As Jake sat in his chair waiting for Merlin and Lamia to finish their final spell, Eve was all he could think about. He went over and over in his mind every minute of the two weeks he'd spent with her. If he closed his eyes, her scent lingered around him.

The last time he'd seen her had been in this chair; the first time he realized he was starting to fall for her had been in this chair. Jake could almost imagine that she was nearby. If he waited long enough, she'd be hitting him in the thigh with a book from her position on the floor or poking him in the shoulder to get his attention.

It was hard to believe she was gone. She'd come into his life, turned it upside down, and made him happy in a way he'd thought he never could be again. Now, it was over.

It hurt.

Lost in his memories of Eve—so few!--the sound of movement made his stomach jump in hope. It plummeted again when he opened his eyes and Lamia was standing beside him. She looked more tired than when she'd woken that morning, and her face was drawn and serious.

“How'd you make out?”

“It's working. The magic is being drawn into the vessel.”

“Good.” He rubbed his eyes. Lamia wasn't the only one who was exhausted. Jake had been up all night, and he didn't know if he'd ever be able to sleep again.

“How are you?” she asked, and he thought he saw concern in her guarded expression.

“We're saving the world, aren't we?” He forced his face to smile, but he knew it probably looked more like a grimace.

“I'm sorry,” she answered his eyes and not his words.

“It's not your fault. This time.”

He winced at how harsh his words sounded, but Lamia didn't react. Her face remained passive as she reached into the white labcoat she'd started wearing in lieu of robes to show her apprentice status. When she withdrew her hand, there was a large blue jewel in it. It sparkled as if in sunlight, even though the light above was dim. Carefully, she put it on top of _Novum Organum Scientiarum_ , which was still there from the night before.

Jacob stared at the jewel and then looked back at Lamia. She finally smiled. It was small but soft.

“I can't take that,” he protested.

“It is yours.”

“This world needs its Librarian. I can't leave it to fend for itself. Not now.”

“The world needs a lot of help now, but it won't be this bad forever. Keep the Stone. Someday you may decide you need it. When you do, touch this facet and this facet simultaneously and firmly.”

Jake knew she was trying to atone for her mistaken support of Dulaque, so he just said, “Thank you.”

She nodded and walked away. Jake's eyes were drawn back to the Stone of Hope. It was so tempting that he didn't even dare to touch it. He had a job to do and, as much as he'd come to love Eve, he couldn't break the promise he'd made to the Library. Somebody had to help put the world back together; somebody had to make sure the magic that was left was taken out of hands that would abuse it. That was a Librarian's job, and he was the Librarian.

He was about to get up and leave the Stone when he noticed a piece of paper sticking out of _Novum Organum Scientiarum_. Since he hadn't used anything to mark his place, he picked up the book, sliding the Stone onto the table.

When he opened the book, it was obvious that the paper was actually a white envelope.

“Is this from you?” he asked the Annex quietly before taking it out.

Opening the envelope, he slid out the letter inside. He unfolded it warily, wondering what message the Library was sending him. He quickly scanned the words, then read them again more slowly. When he was absolutely sure he wasn't imagining them, he started to smile.

XXX

It took time for Eve to feel like her old self. She kept expecting to see Jacob coming through the stacks or seated at the kitchen table. Once, she stared at Flynn's desk in confusion, wondering where the little girls had disappeared to. The worst moment she had was when she came across Stone reading in his favorite chair. Her heart stopped and she froze, truly believing he was Jacob until he raised his eyes to her—eyes that showed heartfelt affection but not love.

Almost a week passed before she stopped feeling like she was in the wrong place and was able to interact normally with her friends again. She missed Jacob terribly, but she started to settle back into her life.

Even though she knew Stone wasn't Jacob,she still couldn't look him in the eye. Looking at him hurt. Knowing he wasn't Jacob and seeing friendship instead of tenderness in his face was like a kick to the gut. She hoped someday she'd be able to face him without feeling a sense of loss.

Something fundamental had shifted while she was gone. The junior Librarians had moved back into the Library and so had Flynn. Where before he had acted separate from them, as if they were a unit but he was always a man alone, now they worked together and listened to each other. He seemed to have a larger hand in where they went and what they did. Eve found she liked the change.

In a rare moment of quiet, she was leaning against the rail above the main room that housed Flynn's office and thinking about the week that had just passed. Taking her cue from the others, she, too, had moved back into the Library. Because of this, and because it was late, she was in her pajamas and her hair was down.

When everyone was either gone to bed or doing their own thing like this, it was hard to tell which Annex she was in, especially from that position. She took a moment to pretend that the desk below her belonged to Jacob and that Merlin and Lamia were just down the hallway trying to fix the problem of wild magic. It was a silly little fantasy, but it eased some of the ache in her heart.

The fantasy fled when she heard footsteps behind her. Sighing quietly, she didn't even look to see who'd caught her in her contemplations.

“Hey.” The voice tugged at her stomach, and she didn't even dare to look at him as he propped himself at the rail next to her.

“Hey,” she answered softly.

“There's not much going on down there in the dark.”

“No.”

“Sometimes, when the job gets too much, when I'm angry, or when I just can't deal with Jones's crap or Cassie's...whatever it is she does, I come here to think.” Stone paused, but when she didn't answer, he continued, “So, what's on your mind tonight? Wanna talk about it?”

She gripped the railing tighter but didn't answer.

“Look, Eve, I know there's more to what happened in that other world than you're telling us.”

She looked at him then and saw concern in his eyes.

“It's okay to talk about it. You can trust me.”

“I know.”

“It makes you sad to be here. I mean, you're happy but you're sad. And you can't look me in the eye.”

She forced her gaze to meet his but quickly glanced away. “It's not important.”

“Of course it's important. It was him, wasn't it? The other me. What did he do?”

“Leave it alone, Stone.”

“Did he hurt you?” he asked quietly, his voice tight.

“No, of course not.”

He nodded in acceptance, looking relieved. “I didn't think he would—or could—but I had to be sure.”

Eve sighed again, this time in surrender. For the first time, she admitted aloud, “I think I love him.”

“That was my other guess. Does he love you back?”

Her face flamed. She wasn't used to speaking about her feelings with anyone, and it made her uncomfortable to do so with Stone. “I think so.”

“We just wanted you home and safe,” he apologized.

“Hey.” She put her hand on his arm. “Whatever else I'm feeling, I really am happy to be home.”

“We worried about you the whole time you were gone.”

“I thought about the four of you—and even Jenkins—a lot. I missed you.”

“All right. I won't bring this up again. I just had to know. Your secret's safe with me.”

“Thanks.”

XXX

Flynn Carson sat at his desk creating a lesson plan for his summer students. The summer term was still over a month away, but he'd already had his final exams made up for weeks and now that classes were finished he had the time.

He used to love creating exams and making lesson plans and learning in general, but now he found all that a little boring. It wasn't that the activities themselves had changed; he was the one who'd changed. He'd gone on an adventure and, though it had been scary, he'd loved it. On his return, he'd been determined to change his life but, unfortunately, he'd fallen back into the same old patterns.

Trying to tell himself that preparing for new students was exciting—and failing—he was happy when a knock on his door distracted him. Leaving his stuff open on his desk, he went to open it. On the other side was the last person Flynn expected to see. He had cleaned himself up, gotten a hair cut, shaved, and was no longer dressed like a superhero, but Flynn immediately recognized the Librarian.

“Hi!...um, come in.” He quickly moved out of the way so Stone could enter.

“Hey, Flynn. How have you been? I see you got home all right.”

After his adventure, Flynn had found himself once more inside the teleportation stones with no idea how he got there or if he and Eve had repaired the Loom of Fate. Stone had found him there and gotten him out of the Ukraine alive. Since then, Flynn had been holding onto as much normalcy as he could while the world went mad around him.

“Yes. Thank you, by the way, for helping me.”

“You're welcome. Can I sit?” He indicated Flynn's guest chair.

“Yes, of course. Sit. Sit and get comfortable.” Flynn perched on the edge of his desk, wondering what someone like Stone could want from him.

“Listen, Flynn, I've come to ask if you'd like to return the favour. How would you like to help me out?”

“I'd like...love that, actually.” Flynn felt excitement bubble up in his stomach. Anything Stone wanted help with was bound to be interesting.

Stone held up his hand. “Don't answer until you hear me out.”

“Why? Is it dangerous?”

“It's more than dangerous, buddy. Do you remember what we said to you before you left with Eve to fix the Loom of Fate?”

“It's my last memory before I woke up back here, but...I don't understand.”

“What was it, Flynn? The words.”

He frowned but answered. “You said it had been a life of mystery, of misery, of loneliness, and of adventure. You said it was the opportunity to make a difference and save the world every week—twice before Friday.”

“And if someone offered you that chance?” He leaned forward intently, his intense eyes burning into Flynn's.

Flynn had thought about that many times since Eve had whisked him away and he'd had a taste of being the Librarian. “I'd say yes.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Stone nodded and leaned back in the chair. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out an envelope. It was remarkably unbent and pristine. Flynn took it, almost holding his breath and not knowing why. He looked at Stone uncertainly.

“It's okay. Read it.”

Flynn carefully took out the single sheet of paper. Its message was short and to the point, but Flynn could hardly believe it. Quickly, he read it again:

_“Dear Mr. Carson,_

_You have been chosen for a job at the Library. If you accept this position, please report in at 9 am tomorrow morning at the following address.”_

There was no signature and there was no letterhead.

“What is this?”

“I have to go away. I probably won't be coming back, and the Library wants you to take my place.”

“To be the Librarian?”

“To be the Librarian.”

“But I don't know...Are you sure I can do it? What about the Library? I thought it was lost.”

“Was. Past tense. We've found it. And you won't be alone. Lamia and Merlin will be there...”

“Merlin as in...?”

“Yeah, Merlin. Charlene is back now, too, with the Library, and she's your best source of information on how to be the Librarian. There's also someone else. His name is Jenkins. If he shows up, the rumour is he's been studying magical artifacts for centuries.”

“Centuries?” Flynn raised his eyebrows.

“It will all make sense. Trust me.”

Flynn nodded slowly. “So, you think I should do it? You think I should become the Librarian?”

“I'd love it if you did, but I'm not going to lie to you. It won't be easy. It won't be safe. There will be times when you're so terrified you won't be able to move. But I think it's worth it. You get to see things no one else on Earth has ever seen, and you get to believe in magic.”

“Magic is awesome.”

“If used responsibly.”

Flynn nodded in understanding.

“Well,” Stone said, getting to his feet. “I'll leave you to think about it. I know it's not an easy decision. If you want the job, it's yours. Just show up tomorrow morning, and we'll put you to work. Oh, and don't be fooled by the outside. One of our doors is under a bridge.”

“Okay.” Flynn's thoughts were spinning. He was already almost positive about what he wanted, but this commitment was for life, and that life might not be very long. “Thanks for thinking of me.”

“It was the Library, Flynn. It wants you, if you're up for the job.”

“I think I am.”

Stone smiled at him. It was a surprisingly warm and friendly smile for someone who looked so hard. “Then I'll see you tomorrow.”

XXX

Eve was sitting in Stone's favorite chair reading the book she'd found in the Library on swordplay. She wasn't much of a reader, not like her companions, but her fight with Dulaqque had humbled her. If she were ever in another situation where her only weapon was a sword, she wanted to be prepared.

Things were pretty loud downstairs, and she had no idea what the others were doing. Voices floated up to her, but they were indistinct, and she couldn't tell what they were saying. That made it even more distracting.

Eventually, Eve found herself staring sightlessly down at the book and straining to make out what was going on. Curiosity got the best of her, so she got up and placed the book on the table. 

As she made her way through the stacks, there was a tremor of excitement below. The voices got louder, and some words made their way to her, though not enough for them to make sense.

“Eve!” Stone called, his voice rising above the rest. “Eve!” 

He sounded excited rather than distressed, so she calmly went to the top of the stairs. 

“Eve, where are you?”

“What's all the yelling ab...” She started in amusement but trailed off as she took in the scene in the office.

There were five people in the main room instead of four. Cassandra and Ezekiel both looked shocked and excited. Flynn just looked stunned. The three of them were staring at the two Stones standing side by side, one with an amusing expression that could only be described as flabbergasted and the other showing both joy and delight. Eve's eyes were drawn to him, noticing that even cleaned up, he was a little more rugged, a little more dangerous. His face had more character and, when he saw her, it split into a grin that lit his eyes.

“Jacob?” she manged to choke out, her hand gripping the railing as her stomach did a little flip. 

“Hey, you. You'd better be happy to see me. I've just crossed timelines and risked getting lost forever to find you.”

The only thing she could force out of her numb mind was, “How did you get here?”

He held up his hand. In it was a fist sized blue jewel that looked as if it had once been part of the sky. When he was sure she saw it, he turned to Flynn. “Here. I think this belongs to you.”

Mostly speechless for the first time since Eve had met him, Flynn just said, “Yes.”

Eve started down the stairs with a pleasantly fluttering stomach. Her chest and throat were tight, and she was trying to make her whirling brain understand what it was seeing. 

Jacob was here.

After she'd resigned herself to never seeing him again. After she'd tried unsuccessfully to shove the memories of him into a little box in the back of her mind. She'd prepared herself for everything but the possibility of seeing him again.

Eve had to remind herself to breathe as he met her at the bottom of the stairs. His smile was still in place, and his eyes were alight. He looked so happy to see her that she wished she could make her frozen brain work so she wouldn't disappoint him.

She gazed down at him, wondering how to say how glad she was to see him. He didn't give her the chance to find her words. Wrapping his arms around her, he drew her into an embrace. Feeling her mind finally catch up to the reality of him, she hugged him back tightly, not caring that her friends were watching. 

Jacob twirled her around once, kissing her jaw, before setting her down on the floor beside him. Eve reluctantly let him go, even though all she wanted to do was cling to him and press her body to his until she was sure he wasn't a dream.

“Oh, I missed you, Eve.”

“I missed you, too,” she answered quietly, taking his hand. Turning to the others, she said, “This is Jacob.”

She saw understanding come to Flynn's eyes as he took in her and Jacob's clasped hands. He came forward, eyeing Jacob with curiosity. “Hello. Welcome to the Library.”

Jacob squeezed Eve's hand once before releasing it. Taking Flynn's, he said warmly. “Stone. Jacob. Former Librarian.”

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we come to the end. This story was a lot more work than I thought it would be. In the end, I think I like it, but I have no idea if it's any good or if anyone else will like it. I'm just putting it out there and hoping at least one person won't hate it. :)

**Author's Note:**

> I loved the chemistry between Eve and Librarian Jake in the finale, and I've been wanting to write a story about them ever since. This is the result.
> 
> A note on the history and the mythology in this one. Some of it is researched (parts of Merlin and Niviane's story and the book Jacob is reading at the end) and some of it is made up (The Stone of Hope). If something sounds like nothing you've ever read in a history book that's probably because it came out of my head.


End file.
